THE BLOOD MOON CURSE

CLAIRE FRASER

A smile grows on my lips when I start to pick the ripe blackberries in the forest.

I place them in my wicker basket, feeling the last rays of the sun on my face.

I should be home before the king’s guards start searching the area for humans to punish after curfew.

This happens every night.

Since the vampires took over the world, humans must serve them in some way to survive.

We can work as slaves for hours or sell our blood to the vampires.

But I would never choose the second option.

I hunt and sell animal meat to the vampires in the village, ensuring that food doesn't run out at home.

I walk to my cabin, where I prepared cuts of fresh meat from the last deer I killed.

I grab my long cloak before packing everything and leaving the cabin.

My father hasn’t returned from work yet, and he wouldn’t be happy to know I’m not home.

The streets are bustling, as always.

I blink my eyes, trying to walk fast without drawing too much attention to myself.

The stalls sell everything from clothes to medicinal herbs, but what stands out the most are the cages with human prisoners, those who weren’t lucky enough to find a useful function for the vampires.

I avert my gaze, feeling disgust within me when I see a vampire dragging a human into a cage.

I walk faster, reaching the stall where I always sell my meat.

“The deer was fat; it should definitely be worth more than just 10 coins, sir.”, I say, pointing to the meat I brought.

The old man examines it before shaking his head and handing me exactly 10 silver coins.

“I can’t pay more, girl. This is all I’ll pay for your sale. Have a good night.”

Ten silver coins clink in my pouch as I store the payment.

It’s little, but enough to survive for a few weeks.

I’m about to leave when I hear screams coming from somewhere nearby.

I furrow my brow when I turn my body, hearing loud shouts.

Humans and vampires are screaming as if they are cheering for something.

I should return to the cabin, but I can’t suppress my curiosity.

The place looks like an old warehouse, now used for some sort of cruel spectacle.

I enter the dimly lit hall, and the smell of blood hits me like a punch.

I can’t see exactly what’s happening, so I push some people aside, and then I see it.

My eyes widen when I see a long-haired man, naked and dirty, wearing only a piece of cloth to cover his private parts.

He’s shackled but continues fighting against a vampire guard.

I feel my heart beat faster when I realize he’s a prisoner of the king.

The man is strong, his muscles taut, but he’s at a disadvantage.

The vampire is one of the king’s guards, dressed in dark armor, with eyes gleaming with cruel excitement.

The vampire’s punch makes the man fall to his knees, and I notice something strange.

A werewolf.

When the man tries to get up, I see the tattooed mark on his shoulder, but werewolves can no longer transform after the spell cast by the king.

The werewolf is brave, but without his true strength, he’s losing the fight.

Another blow hits his face, and my stomach turns when I see blood dripping from his mouth.

“Come on, werewolf! Is that all you can do?”, the guard yells, kicking the man’s body, who groans in pain, trying to defend himself.

“Come on! Kill him! Kill the beast!”

The vampires scream, and I close my eyes tightly when I see him suffering more.

There’s blood on his body.

He’s going to kill the werewolf if this continues.

The vampires’ laughter fills the hall. I know they take pleasure in this.

The audience wants to see his blood stain the floor.

I feel the anger rise inside me, and I know I shouldn’t do this, but it’s too late.

Before I can think, my words come out loud and firm:

“Stop this!”

The hall falls silent for a brief moment before everyone starts laughing at me.

A vampire with black hair and red eyes, who seem to be the fight’s organizer, turns to me with a mocking smile.

“A human daring to interrupt our fun?”

He tilts his head, his eyes analyzing me as if I were an interesting insect.

“And why? Since when do humans care about beasts?”

My heart beats faster when I say more loudly.

“How much is his freedom worth?”

The vampire raises an eyebrow and laughs even louder.

Other vampires join him, mocking the idea.

One of them says something about humans being so stupid and naive.

But I don’t back down.

“How much?”, I insist, my voice firm.

The vampire steps forward, looking at me with cruel amusement.

“Your blood, girl.”, he says, licking his lips.

“What?”

“What do you say? Want to donate a little of your blood to save this filthy creature?”

The idea of a vampire drinking from me disgusts me.

But then my eyes fall on the werewolf.

He’s lying on the ground, his chest rising and falling with difficulty.

His breathing is heavy, his golden eyes half-closed in pain.

He’s going to die. If not here, then in the days to come, in another fight, until his body can’t take it anymore.

Why am I still here doing this?

“No?”, the vampire mocks.

“I thought you’d have more courage. But don’t worry, he won’t last much longer anyway.”

I breathe deeply, my fingers tightening around the coins in my pouch.

My earnings from weeks of work. It’s all I have. Maybe it’s crazy, but I can’t watch him kill that man.

The vampire turns to continue the fight, but I scream.

“How much in money?”

The vampire blinks, seeming surprised for a moment.

Then he smiles maliciously.

“Ten silver coins. That’ll get him out of the fight, but he’ll still be the king’s prisoner. That’s the only price I can offer.”

Ten coins. Exactly what I have. If I give this, I’ll have nothing left. But if I do nothing, I’ll have to watch the werewolf die before my eyes.

I look at him one last time, his wounded body and his dignity destroyed, and I make my decision.

“I accept.”

The vampire laughs, seeming to find everything very amusing, and extends his hand. I take the coins from my pocket and hand them to him.

The other vampires whistle and mock, but the organizer simply shrugs and signals for the guard to stop the fight.

“You’re free from the fight, beast. But you still belong to the king.”

I ignore the shouts in my direction when I blink my eyes, seeing the moment when the werewolf turns his face and then his golden eyes lock on me.

He just looks at me, and I feel something inside me.

I paid to save his life, but why?

He’s still hurt on the ground, and I don’t think when I approach and then take the water I always carry with me.

He doesn’t pull away, and then I kneel in front of him, bringing the water to his lips, but he recoils.

“You need to drink or you’ll die...”, I whisper, and he shakes his head, wiping his lips with his swollen and bleeding fists.

I’ve never been this close to a werewolf before.

“Why?”, he asks, and I furrow my brow.

“What?”

“Why are you doing this?”, he asks, and then I can’t answer that question.

“Maybe because even beasts deserve to be saved...”, I murmur, seeing his eyes shine for a moment.

“You should leave now...”

“What did you do to be a prisoner of the king?”

The werewolf smiles, and I get more confused when he kneels, becoming taller than me.

“Maybe I tried to kill the king a few times...”

I widen my eyes, and something inside me believes his words.

Trying to kill a vampire can condemn you to death, and with the king, the worst kind of death.

“Go away, human...”

“Drink the water...”

“I don’t need your mercy...”, he says, trying to get up, and I do the same, looking at him angrily.

“I spent all my money to save your life, and here I am trying to help you, and I don’t know why. So it wouldn’t hurt if you were a little grateful.”, I say, and he smiles, shaking his head.

“Thank you for saving me, human, but I was fine before your help.”

“You were going to die!”, I yell angrily.

The owner of the place approaches, pulling on his chains.

Idiot.

I can’t believe this.

I’m still staring at him when I hear a voice behind me.

“A human out after curfew?”

My heart stops when I turn around and see the same vampire who was fighting the werewolf standing before me.

I look around, seeing that all the humans have already left, and I’m the only one among the vampires.

“I... I’m leaving now...”, I try to pass him, but he grabs my arm tightly.

“Let me go...”

“Calm down, human; you know the rules and very well what happens to humans caught after curfew.”

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“I could take you prisoner now, but look at you. A beautiful human, I could have some fun with you and your sweet blood...”

I shake my head, stepping back.

I’m alone with them.

“Let me go, please...”, I whisper, feeling my back hit the wall behind me.

I could use the knife I carry on my thigh to attack him and run, but vampires don’t die easily.

Fear completely overwhelms me when he’s too close.

I turn my head, feeling the tears in my eyes, hearing the other guards laughing.

“Let’s have some fun with her!”, one of them yells, and I feel his cold hand on my neck.

“Leave us alone...”, the guard asks, and they all leave.

“I can smell your blood...”

I close my eyes, trembling, as I feel his hands trying to open my clothes and his sharp teeth against my neck.

“No!”, I scream, grabbing the knife on my leg and plunging it into his chest with force.

 "I’ll kill you, human!"

The guard screams in rage and raises his hand to slap me, but before that happens, I hear the sound of chains, and then the guard is struck with a punch.

The same werewolf as before puts the chains around the vampire’s neck, who tries to break free.

He saved me.

“Run, now! Go, run!”, he yells, and my legs seem to not work.

If he kills a vampire, he’ll die too.

“I told you to run now! Go!”, he says, and I nod, looking at him for the last time.

“Thank you...”

“Humans deserve to be saved too...”, he whispers, holding the guard tightly.

I hold my cloak and run toward the other exit, feeling tears in my eyes.

I run and don’t stop, trying to avoid the guards ahead of me.

The whole time, I can’t stop thinking about the werewolf who condemned his life even more to save me.

I hear screams, and then I turn my head, stopping running.

I see when he’s pulled out of the warehouse, shackled by the guards, who are shouting.

I hide in the dark, seeing the moment when he’s tied to a post. I widen my eyes, covering my mouth with my hands when I see what’s going to happen to him.

He’s going to be punished with whipping.

Even from a distance, I see when the werewolf raises his head and looks at me.

“Thank you...”, I whisper again before seeing the guard raising the whip.

I run again toward the forest in the dark, careful not to be captured again.

I can’t stop crying, thinking that that man might be dead now.

I saved him, and he saved me.

CLAIRE FRASER

I push the wooden door open, and as soon as I enter, I realize that my father has already arrived.

He is sitting near the table, his calloused hands gripping a piece of bread.

His rigid and worried gaze quickly fixes on me.

“God, where have you been?”

My body trembles, and when I open my mouth to say what happened, I feel the tears wetting my face again.

“Dad...”

“Claire...”

I see him get up and approach me, gently touching my face.

“What were you doing near the vampires after curfew? Do you know how dangerous that is...?”

I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to show weakness, but the pressure of the whole night weighs on me.

“Dear...”

“I... I hate the vampires, Dad. I wish for a world without them.”

My father furrows his brow, his gaze softening a little.

“What did they do to you?”

I can feel the anger in his voice.

“Claire, tell me what they did to you