Sakruton: The Blood Seal

Luna lives in a small studio apartment in an old apartment complex. The rooms are clean, but the furniture is old and shabby. The kettle broke a week ago, the faucet is leaking, and the landlady promised to send a plumber, but no one came. The water is cold or not at all. There’s an old bicycle on the balcony, which Luna uses to save money on transportation. Dust on the windowsills and dim lighting add to the melancholy of the room, but the heroine holds on: she tries to keep order even when the world seems to be falling apart.

The neighborhood is gray and dirty, but tolerable. People like her live here: those who work hard but barely make ends meet. In the evenings you can hear shouting from the nearby parking lot, and sometimes teenagers come to the driveway, drawing graffiti on the walls. The nearest supermarket closes at eight p.m., and the local shops become a source of gossip and criminal rumors after dark.

One evening, returning from a hard shift at the bar, Luna walked toward her house. Her footsteps echoed down the empty street, and she hurried to get to the front door. But just as she turned onto her street, three hooded men blocked her path. Their intentions were obvious: sharp glances and cocky smirks, the smell of cheap alcohol and cigarettes wafted around them.

- Hey, baby, don’t you want to party with us? - One of them smirked and stepped closer.

Luna clutched her bag and took a step back, but her heart hammered harder. She tried to look calm:

- Go away, I don’t have time for games.

- Oh, how proud you are. What, you think you’re better than us? - The other man took her hand, but before Luna could react, a familiar vagrant stepped out of the shadows.

- Hands off,” he muttered with unexpected confidence, wrapping himself in a dirty coat.

It was Yurka, the local bum everyone knew. He had a bad reputation, but he rarely meddled in other people’s business. This time, however, he took her side.

- Who the hell is this hero? - One of the men snorted, but didn’t make a move.

- Well, do you want to take a chance? - Yurka showed a knocked-out tooth in a wild smile and raised a beer bottle, as if ready to use it. - Come on, try it!

The men looked at each other. One of them muttered something, and soon they disappeared around the corner, leaving Luna alone with the tramp.

- Thank you,” she breathed out, still shaking from the experience.

- Oh, it’s nothing, beautiful. Be careful here, won’t you? It’s a long night, and not everyone is as kind as I am,” he chuckled, then added with a chuckle, ”Next time, leave a bottle of water on the stairs. It’s hot, you know.

Luna nodded with a slight smile:

- I will. Thanks again.

Yurka sniffed his nose and, humming, disappeared into the darkness. Luna hurried to the entrance, trying not to turn around.

Once behind the door of her apartment, Luna leaned against the wall in relief and sank to the floor. This encounter had shown her how vulnerable she was in this city. 

Every day was a battle, even if the enemies sometimes hid under the guise of caring acquaintances.

She glanced at the faucet, from which water was still dripping, and sighed. This was her reality: problems at home, failures at work, and loneliness in the big city. Her life had become a routine, where every day was like the previous one. But something inside told her: something would change soon.

That night Luna couldn’t sleep. Thoughts swirled in her head, and images of those men and Yurka stood before her eyes. What if he hadn’t shown up? She realized that in this town, one could only count on oneself and rare displays of luck. She rolled over onto her other side and promised herself that she would find a way out of this gray circle.

It was at that moment that the phone vibrated on the table. Luna reached over and looked at the screen. A message from an acquaintance of hers from work:

“Planning to go out a little tomorrow, will you be joining us? - Rita wrote.”

Luna thought for a moment, but her inner voice kept her from temptation. She knew she needed to save her money and stay out of unnecessary trouble.

However, something about the message was unsettling; Rita didn’t often invite her to parties. This offer seemed... strange. Luna put the phone away, feeling a slight uneasiness settle into her soul.

Luna put the phone down on the table and closed her eyes tiredly, thinking about the message from Rita. The temptation to leave the house and forget herself for the evening was strong. Even if it was only for a few hours, it might give her a chance to pretend that her life wasn’t as empty and confusing as it seemed. Common sense, however, told her that such lounging could turn into more problems.

Luna felt increasingly out of place. At work, she was treated with indifference at best and disdain at worst. Even Rita seemed to invite her more out of pity than friendly concern. Too many people looked at Luna as if they knew her life was falling apart, and they were pleased to see that she couldn’t hide it.

She went back into the kitchen and tried to turn the kettle on again. But, as before, nothing happened. Sighing loudly, Luna opened the faucet and only a thin trickle of water flowed from it, which immediately stopped.

“Fine,” she muttered, feeling her irritation rising.

These petty domestic problems seemed endless to her. Troubles, money delays, locked doors-it all added up to a chain of mishaps from which there was no escape. At times like this, she felt like she was literally suffocating.

The phone vibrated again. This time the screen flashed with another message:

“Tomorrow is going to be an interesting night. I wouldn’t miss it if I were you.” - А.”

She stared at the text, reading it several times. It wasn’t from Rita. The number wasn’t familiar to her, but there was something unsettling about the message. Who was “A?” And what was this “interesting night”?

Luna involuntarily felt a shiver run down her spine. She looked around the room as if someone was watching her through the walls. The feeling of unease grew stronger, but she didn’t know why.

The strange text reminded Luna of a situation that happened a week ago. She was coming home after work when she noticed someone following her. At first she thought it was just a coincidence: who could be walking down the same road? But the person didn’t turn around or lag behind, keeping his distance but following her precisely.

Her heart beat faster. She turned into the courtyard, hoping to throw her pursuer out of the way, but when she turned around, she saw him a few meters behind her. He was in the shadows, and it was hard to see his face. Panic swept over her. She was almost to the house, but she still risked going around it and making a circle around the block to see if the stranger would back off.

And the stranger vanished as if into thin air, and Luna tripped over Yurka, lying in a dark alley. She cried out:

-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.  I’m a slacker as always look at the wrong sides - muttered worriedly moon with guilt in her voice.

Yurka decided to soften the situation, joking because he knew that despite her difficult situation in life such a beauty will never consider him as a partner:

- Well, if you stumble, so fall down next to me! - exclaimed Yurka, laughing. 

- Thank you, but I’m in a hurry to get home - Luna twisted, blushed and snuck into her front room.

The events of that week came back in her head like a broken record, she tried to push them away, but she even had in her nose the smells of Yurka in that alley from the tramp who obviously hadn’t seen soap in a long time.

Waking up early in the morning, Luna still couldn’t decide what to do. The message from Rita was simple and familiar - a suggestion to blow off steam and forget herself for the evening. But a strange message from “A” kept her on her toes.

She typed a reply to Rita:

“Maybe. What are you planning?” - and sent it.

Barely had her finger left the screen when the reply came:

“You’ll see. It’ll be a night you won’t regret.”

Those words made her think even harder. Rita had never said things like that before. It seemed like there was more to this evening than just booze and music. And why was it now, after all the strange happenings, that she had gotten this invitation?

Luna knew she probably shouldn’t go. But something inside her was pulling at her that night, as if she had already made a choice before she realized it.

Luna sat on the edge of her couch, wrapping her arms around her knees. Her mind tossed between decisions, trying to figure out what was behind the invitation. The answer from Rita was unsettling. “A night you won’t regret,” the phrase sounded overly confident, as if something special and possibly dangerous lurked in this night.

She’d known Rita for a long time. She’d always been cheerful, but she’d never said such cryptic phrases. Maybe Rita had no idea what kind of game was unfolding here? Or was this part of something bigger?

Luna clutched the phone in her hand. “What have I got to lose?” - she thought, feeling her inner anxiety being replaced by an incomprehensible anticipation.

- ‘Come on, Luna,’ she muttered aloud, ‘you have nothing to fear. After all, it’s just a party.

The words sounded convincing, but inside she knew she was fooling herself. There was something strange about this night. It was as if there was a tangle that was about to tighten around her.

She typed out a message:

“I’ll be there.”

The reply from Rita came instantly:

“Nine by the park. Don’t forget.”

Luna exhaled nervously. The decision had been made. There was no turning back now.

She went to her closet and pulled out the only dress that was any good for the party. A simple black dress, no frills. Luna wasn’t much for dressing up, but tonight she wanted to get out of her usual shell at least a little.

As she changed her clothes, her thoughts returned to her half-brother. He always appeared in her life suddenly and then disappeared just as quickly. Luna tried to convince herself that he would never come back, but his image haunted her like a ghost of the past.

“How tired I am of all this,” Luna whispered, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

She threw on her jacket and glanced at the clock. 8:45. She needed to hurry. Locking the door behind her, she quickly descended the stairs. The stairwell was dark, lit only by a flickering bulb above the entrance.

As she stepped outside, the wind slapped her face—cold and sharp. The streets were nearly deserted, and even the city’s distant hum seemed muffled.

“It’s just a party,” she reminded herself, quickening her pace.

At the corner of her building, she encountered Yurka again. He was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. When he noticed her, his tired eyes met hers.

“And where are you headed on a night like this?” he mumbled, his gaze lingering on her dress.

“Meeting some friends,” Luna replied curtly, trying to avoid a conversation.

“Be careful out there, girl,” Yurka said, tossing the cigarette butt to the ground and crushing it with his boo