
Blood Moon Rising
By G.DHARMA Prakash DMTE

16 May, 2024

In the dystopian remains of New York City, walls of debris framed the skyline. Once proud skyscrapers stood as skeletons, their shadows casting an eerie gloom. This was no place for the living.

But beneath the city's ruins, a predator stirred from eternal sleep. Sveta, the vampire, found herself in a world gone mad. The city she once preyed upon had fallen, and new horrors roamed the streets.

Hunger drove her from the safety of her subterranean refuge, into the moonlit city. She moved with predatory grace, darting between the shadows. Her nostrils flared. Yes, there was blood nearby.

Stalking her way towards the scent, she discovered an unfamiliar creature. A human-like figure, skin rotting, eyes vacant, shambling about aimlessly - a zombie.

The zombie sensed her, turning with a guttural growl. Sveta lept back, her crimson eyes flashed dangerously. An intriguing fight brewed between an undead and an immortal.

Sveta struck first, lunging with feral speed at the zombie. The creature swiped back clumsily, only to be met by the vampire’s bare hand. With a swift rip, the fight was over.

The vampire recoiled, her fangs bared. The creature's blood was vile, tainted. Undrinkable. She spat, her lips curled in disgust. She was still hungry, and her prey was gone.

Sveta ventured deeper into the city ruins, her hunger intensifying. More zombies lurked, their grunts echoing in the silence. She couldn't feed on them, but they seemed keen on her.

She was a predator turned prey, a grim irony that did not amuse her. Sveta knew she must adapt. The world she knew was gone. Survival was the only game left.

The nights turned colder. Sveta hunted relentlessly for traces of human blood, but found none. Her strength waned, her movements becoming sluggish, mirroring those of the zombies.

She avoided direct confrontations with the zombies, climbing the skeletal remains of buildings for refuge. Her instincts screamed one truth – she was running out of time.

One evening, Sveta stumbled upon a forgotten subway tunnel. Inside, she smelled something different — fresh blood. Could it be? Human... alive. Hope swelled in her undead heart.

Sveta moved swiftly, following the scent, deeper into the dim tunnel. Finally, her eyes met a sight that made her heart accelerate — a living human, unconscious but alive.

With a predatory grace, she approached the human. Her fangs ached, her stomach growled. She hovered above him, the sweet scent of his blood intoxicating. Then she paused.

There was fear in the man's unconscious face. A survivor, just like her. So she chose. She siphoned just enough to sate her hunger, not enough to end his life.

The human’s blood... it nourished her, invigorated her starved body. She felt warmth seeping back into her, her strength renewing. Despite it all, she could survive in this world.

The man remained unconscious, his face paler, but his breathing steady. She'd taken something from him, now she would repay the debt. Sveta decided to protect him, at least till he awoke.

She guarded him closely for days, fending off curious zombies, listening for the telltale groans signalling their approach. All while he slowly regained strength.

One day, the human stirred. His brown eyes fluttered open, meeting Sveta's crimson gaze. Fear flashed before recognition dawned. He was with a monster, but one who'd saved him.

Sveta revealed her truth, about her vampiric nature, her survival. He listened, his expression wary. A monster had saved him, and in return, he'd unknowingly saved her. It was a twisted reality.

Days turned into weeks. Human and vampire coexisted in the subway tunnel, surviving off each other. An unusual alliance formed in the post-apocalyptic ruins of New York.

They scavenged together, fought off zombies, and shared stories about the world before. It was a companionship born out of necessity, but it was what they both needed.

Together, they adapted to the new world. Sveta found she could partially feed on him for sustenance, and he found protection under her predatory might. Two prey, surviving through unthinkable means.

She watched over him in the day when he scavenged for food and materials, and he kept watch over her as she slept through the day. It was a system that worked.

As time passed, Sveta felt a strange sensation within her. She could not place it, yet it warmed her cold heart. She had found companionship, a purpose. It was... comforting.

She began to care for the human, not merely as a source of sustenance, but as a friend. It was an odd notion for a vampire - to care for a human. But it felt right.

The man accepted Sveta, not as a monster but a survivor. In a world gone mad, they were but creatures clinging onto life. Together, they navigated the challenges that lay ahead.

New York City, once the epitome of human ambition, was now overrun by the undead. However, within its ruined walls, a vampire and a human had found a way to survive.

Theirs was a bizarre tale, but so was the world they inhabited. Two beings, from different realms of existence, bonding in a world turned upside down. Together, they faced the undead dawn.

As the moon bathed the city in a soft glow, Sveta looked out at the desolate streets. She was a vampire, a predator. But she had found something more, something human within her.

She turned to the man, a faint smile curving her lips. They were survivors, fighting against the odds. And in the bone-chilling silence of the night, they had each other.

The tale of survival continued in the shattered remains of New York City. An unlikely alliance, tested by time, strengthened by adversity. Together, they faced the horrors lurking in their twisted world.

Sveta, once an aloof predator, was now a protector. The man, once oblivious to the supernatural, was now a partner in survival. A vampire and a human, surviving under the blood moon's vigil.

In a world of death and dread, they had found a peculiar companionship. Surviving, adapting, living — a human and a vampire against the undead. This was their tale, under the blood moon rising.