The Vampire's Cradle

THE BEGINNING

Woo Bin's POV

It was in the winter of 1954 in a village somewhere in North Korea. Just after the Korean War, when the North Korean forces invaded South Korea.

I and my family live in that place for the past 20 years, we are a family of four. I have a younger sister who is two years younger than me, Jae-Eun. Where living is a little bit hard for most people like us. We were forced to follow and strained to freely do what we want. Avoid death if possible.

I can still remember that one sunny day, there were plenty of troops roaming around the place. I don't want to go, but my father was bugging me to get up and prepare for school.

I went to school with a baffling feeling. Jae-un wants to come with me, but I was afraid that the militias might have an interest in her. We were trying our best to keep her away from their prying eyes. Waving all the fears that they might give her.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon. I just came out of school and starting to walk home, thinking of the candies that I bought for my sister. I have been checking it twice or thrice already inside my pants left pocket, trying my best not to lose it.

I was already three blocks away from our house when I noticed those people gathering near our place. I stopped for a while and try to watch their actions. I can sense that there is something wrong with the way they sigh and some of them even cried out of nowhere. That's when I decided to start taking another step towards them.

I walk faster than usual and my heart is beating fast as if I am linked to their business as usual. I walk past them and overheard what they are saying...

"Aigoo! What a pity, they are all gone," the old woman cried.

"Woo Bin is here..." the other woman says when she saw me coming.

I run as fast as I can then I saw an ambulance just in front of the house. 2 stretchers came out from our house, each has a body covered with white sheets... I already know that something is wrong.

I ran inside looking for another person. The police outside the door was trying to control and stop me from getting in, but I have to. I need to find my sister.

That's when I saw another body lying on the floor, her clothes were torn... blood everywhere. The house was turned upside down. I can feel my heart racing... as if these are my last breathes.

I am in pain looking at my sister's lifeless body... she has bruises everywhere, her face is already pale, her lips were turning black.

I want to shout and call her name but I can't as if I swallowed my tongue. I feel numb and I can't think. I held her body but I was too late, she's not moving anymore.

Until they took her body and put it inside the ambulance, I kept on following her in the ambulance then I held her hand.

I was hoping that it was a dream. That everything will end and goes back to how I left this morning. Tears keep on flowing from my eyes.

Until we arrived in the hospital and the doctor declared them dead.

I screamed hard hoping everything will end if I do this.

I punched the wall near me, I was hoping that I'll be awake if this is a dream. I felt the pain in my fist. Saw the Blood streak on the floor. Reality bites.

I sat on the floor because I can't feel my feet anymore. I lose my control and the ability to stand still. The pain is numbing my whole body. I cannot even think straight.

"Omma... Ah-bo-jee...Jae-un..." I kept on calling their names, hoping they will come and embrace me, just like they use to do. But not today, they didn't. My sister didn't come to pull my face to smile. She didn't come to kiss me in the forehead and maybe pull a joke just to make me laugh.

I embraced myself, I can already feel the cold and the emptiness that is approaching me. Fear is starting to crawl on me. I hid my face with my arms and started to sob.

Someone's POV

I saw that young man this morning walking past to school. I wanted to stop him but I can't.

Then, I saw him again this afternoon, running. He was crying so hard when he arrived home. His family was beaten to death and her younger sister was abused.

I already knew that it will happen. I foresee it, that's why I want to stop him this morning. But I was scared that my existence may be agonizing. It is not yet the right time.

I know that will happen, but I didn't see the perpetrators, I just know who they were.

Looking at him, I know he will suffer the same faith similar to his parents. Just how I ended being miserable in my whole existence.

Do I have to include myself or pretend I didn't see it? I don't know what to say but I feel bothered by him. I want to help but I know I should not.

I have been in this lonely life for more than a hundred years... I can't be on the run for another decade.

But can I move on, pretend or forget as if it didn't happen? Knowing that I will be hearing the same news after a couple of days beginning today. I will be seeing this boy's death, suffering from the same faith. Another bloody day.

Should I just forget the reason why they died? Should I forget what happened back then?

The past still gives me ache deep within, I still want to bleed every time I remembered her, my wife... my mate.