I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the man's face—those piercing eyes that seemed to see right through me. His voice still echoed in my ears: "Put the book down." But I hadn't. The book was sitting on the desk across the room, taunting me.
I got up and paced. What had I gotten myself into? It wasn't just an old book. It was something more. Something dangerous. And the man…he wasn't human. I didn't know how I knew that, but I did.
I decided to return the book. First thing in the morning, I'd take it back to the library, put it back where I found it, and forget this ever happened.
The campus was unusually quiet when I walked to the library the next day. Normally, it was buzzing with students heading to classes or study groups, but today there was an eerie stillness. I clutched the book tighter under my arm and kept walking.
When I reached the library, I hesitated at the door. The last thing I wanted was to run into that man again. But I didn't have a choice. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open.
Inside, everything looked normal. The librarian gave me a brief nod as I walked past her desk. I made my way to the section where I'd found the book. It felt different now—heavier, somehow. Like the air was thicker here.
I slid the book back onto the shelf, exactly where I'd found it. For a moment, I felt a sense of relief. Whatever this was, it wasn't my problem anymore.
As I turned to leave, I felt it.
A sharp, burning pain on the side of my neck. I yelped and clutched at the spot, spinning around to see who—or what—had touched me. But there was no one there. The aisle was empty.
The pain faded just as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a dull ache. I pressed my fingers to my neck, but I didn't feel anything unusual. Shaking it off, I hurried out of the library.
By the time I got back to my dorm, the pain was completely gone. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, pulling my hair back to get a better look at my neck.
That's when I saw it.
A mark.
It wasn't a bruise or a scratch. It was something else entirely. A symbol, almost like a tattoo, burned into my skin. It was faint, but it was there—a small, intricate design that I couldn't make sense of.
Panic set in. I scrubbed at it with soap and water, but it didn't fade. It wasn't going away.
"What the hell is this?" I muttered to myself.
The symbol reminded me of the writing in the book. The strange, shifting symbols that I shouldn't have been able to read but somehow did. My mind raced. Was this connected to the book? To the man?
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the floor. None of this made sense. I was just a student. My life was supposed to be normal. Predictable. Not…this.
A knock on my door startled me.
"Alex? You in there?" It was Mia, my roommate.
I quickly pulled my hair back over my neck and opened the door. "Hey."
She frowned. "You okay? You look…weird."
I forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well."
Mia raised an eyebrow but didn't press. "Alright. Well, we're heading to the coffee shop if you want to join us."
"I'm good, thanks. I've got some stuff to catch up on."
She shrugged. "Suit yourself."
As soon as she was gone, I closed the door and locked it. I couldn't risk anyone seeing the mark. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it wasn't normal.
I spent the rest of the day researching. I scoured the internet, looking for anything that resembled the symbol on my neck. Occult forums, conspiracy sites, even ancient history databases—nothing.
It wasn't until late that night, when I was about to give up, that I found something. A single image on a forgotten corner of the internet. The symbol was identical to the one on my neck.
My heart pounded as I clicked on the link. The page loaded slowly, like it was reluctant to reveal its secrets. When it finally appeared, I read the text with growing dread.
The symbol was called the Vampire Mark. According to the site, it was a brand given to those who were "claimed" by vampires.
Claimed.
The word sent a chill down my spine. Claimed for what?
The page didn't go into detail. It was mostly filled with vague warnings and cryptic references. But one thing was clear: once you were marked, you couldn't escape.
I slammed my laptop shut and leaned back in my chair, running my hands through my hair. This couldn't be real. Vampires weren't real. They were just stories. Myths.
And yet, the mark on my neck said otherwise.
As I sat there, trying to process everything, I heard something outside my window. A soft scraping sound, like nails against glass.
My breath caught. Slowly, I turned my head toward the window.
There was a shadow outside.
It moved quickly, disappearing before I could get a good look. But I knew what I saw. Something—or someone—had been watching me.
I grabbed my phone and dialed Mia's number.
"Hey," she answered, sounding annoyed. "What's up?"
"Mia, I think someone's outside my window."
There was a pause. "Are you serious?"
"Yes. Can you just come back here? Please?"
"Okay, okay, I'm on my way."
I hung up and sat frozen on my bed, staring at the window. The shadow didn't reappear, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't alone.
Mia arrived a few minutes later, along with two of our friends. They checked outside but didn't find anything.
"You're probably just tired," Mia said. "You've been stressed out lately."
"Yeah," I said, though I didn't believe it.
I didn't sleep that night either.