The hum of the bustling newsroom filled Adrian's ears as he stepped into the glass-fronted building of Storm Clouds Station. It was a towering, modern structure, its reflective windows gleaming in the sunlight. Inside, the air buzzed with energy. Phones rang incessantly, reporters rushed past, clutching papers or cameras, and the soft clatter of keyboards created a rhythmic backdrop. Adrian paused for a moment, taking in the chaos. His heart raced not out of nerves, but excitement. This was where stories were born, where truth was uncovered, and where the world's secrets were brought to lighht "Wolfe!"
Adrian turned to see his editor, Mr. Carter Quinn, waving him over. Carter was a tall, wiry man in his late forties, with sharp eyes and a perpetual scowl that made him look perpetually unimpressed. "You're late," Carter barked, though there was no real anger in his voice. "It's your first day and already ten minutes?"Adrian grinned sheepishly. "I had to get breakfast , boss. You know how it is." Carter shook his head, handing Adrian a thin manila folder. "Well, eat faster next time. We've got bigger things than your breakfast today." Adrian flipped open the folder as Carter continued. "Strange deaths in the industrial district. Three bodies found drained of blood. No signs of struggle, no suspects. Police are keeping it under wraps for now, but sources say they're spooked. And when the cops are spooked, I want answers." "Drained of blood?" Adrian muttered, frowning as he scanned the brief notes. "Sounds like some kind of gang ritual or…I don't know, something out of a horror novel."
"Exactly," Carter said, tapping the folder. "Whatever it is, the people have a right to know. And you're the one who's going to find out. Start with the morgue see if you can talk to the medical examiner. Maybe they'll give you something useful."
Adrian nodded, already feeling the familiar itch of curiosity. "On it."
The Sidan City morgue was a cold, sterile place. The faint hum of fluorescent lights echoed off the tiled walls, and the faint smell of antiseptic lingered in the air. Adrian pulled his jacket tighter as he approached the reception desk. A bored-looking clerk glanced up from her computer. "Can I help you?"
"Adrian Wolfe, Storm Clouds Station," he said, flashing his press badge. "I'm looking for Dr. Marian Blake. I heard she's handling the, uh…recent cases."
The clerk raised an eyebrow but pointed down the hall. "Last door on the left. Good luck getting anything out of her."
Adrian found the door and knocked lightly before stepping inside. Dr. Marian Blake stood over a table, her gloved hands carefully examining a body covered by a white sheet. She was a stern woman in her fifties, with graying hair pulled back into a tight bun and an air of no-nonsense efficiency.
"You're not police," she said without looking up. "No, ma'am," Adrian said. "Adrian Wolfe, investigative journalist. I'm just looking for a little information about the recent","No comment," she interrupted, straightening up and peeling off her gloves. "Please, Dr. Blake," Adrian pressed. "Three people are dead under mysterious circumstances, and the public deserves to know what's happening. I'm not asking for confidential details just anything you can tell me. Off the record, if that's easier." She studied him for a moment, her sharp eyes narrowing. Finally, she sighed. "Off the record."
Adrian nodded eagerly, pulling out his notebook.
"The bodies were…unusual," Dr. Blake began. "All three victims were completely exsanguinated drained of blood. But here's the strange part: there were no wounds. No cuts, no punctures. Nothing that explains how the blood was removed." Adrian frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Are you saying the blood just…vanished?"
Dr. Blake crossed her arms. "That's what it looks like. There's no logical explanation for it. And then there's the state of the bodies pale, almost translucent. Like the blood wasn't just taken; it was…sucked out, somehow. And yet there's no physical trauma to suggest how." Adrian scribbled furiously in his notebook, his mind racing. "Have there been any similar cases in the past?" "Not officially," she said carefully. "But there are rumors. Old urban legends about…well, I'm sure you've heard them. Vampires." Adrian raised an eyebrow. "You don't actually think" "I think," Dr. Blake interrupted, "that there's something very wrong happening in this city. And I think you should be careful, Mr. Wolfe. Curiosity can be dangerous." Adrian left the morgue with more questions than answers. The idea of vampires was ridiculous, of course a leftover relic of old myths and horror stories. And yet…the details didn't add up. As he walked back to his motorbike, he pulled out his phone, scrolling through archived articles about unexplained deaths in Sidan City. To his surprise, there were more than he expected stories buried in the back pages of newspapers, dismissed as isolated incidents or urban legends. The further he read, the more unsettled he became. Patterns began to emerge clusters of deaths, strange sightings, and always the same chilling detail: bodies drained of blood Adrian's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned, but the street was empty. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he glanced around, his heartbeat quickening.
"Get a grip," he muttered to himself, climbing onto his bike. But as he drove away, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching him.