THE LAST HOPE

The alarm didn’t just ring.. it screamed.

Adrian Richardson bolted upright in bed, his heart already racing before his brain had caught up. The loud sound of his phone alarm drilled into his ears, pulling him from sleep and making him confused. His hand felt clumsy on the bedstand until his fingers grabbed around the sleek, buzzing device.

7:42 A.M.

"Shit," he hissed.

He swung his legs out of bed and pulled on his uniform with one arm while quickly brushing his teeth with the other. "I can't be late again," he mumbled through a mouthful of minty bubbles. "Professor Ardel's gonna roast me alive."

He tightened his ID string around his neck, shoved books into his backpack with the urgency of a soldier prepping for war, and reached for the doorknob—

The building shook.

Not a little tremor. Not the kind of playful jolt Las Vegas sometimes got during minor tectonic hiccups. This was different. The floor moved up and down beneath him, the ceiling light swayed like a pendulum, and the window glass rattled as though they might break inward.

What the ?

He froze, his breath catching. Then, slowly, almost cautiously, he walked over to the large window that looked out over the city.

And he saw hell.

The street below, which was usually full of people, tourists, taxis, street performers, and bright lights was now a war zone. People were running, screaming, stumbling. But it wasn’t just random panic. No. Some of them weren’t fleeing.

They were attacking.

A man jumped on a woman and sank his teeth into her throat. Another chased a child across the road, pouncing on him like a crazy animal. Blood sprayed across the pavement. Cars smashed into one another as drivers tried to escape, only to be pulled out of their vehicles by wild people who ripped into them like they were meat.

Adrian staggered back from the window, nearly tripping over the edge of his bed.

"No. No. This isn’t real. This can't be real."

He quickly grabbed his phone and opened T*****r. The feed was a storm of chaos—videos of people being bitten, streets on fire, a woman live-streaming from her apartment balcony as creatures climbed the walls toward her. One caption hit him like a hammer:

#VampireOutbreak #LasVegasFalling

He switched to F******k. More of the same. Posts from classmates. Relatives. Strangers. Panicked videos. Live reactions. One message kept repeating:

«They’re not human anymore. Don’t let them bite you.»

His fingers went numb.

A new video started to auto-play on his timeline. A news reporter, looking extremely scared, was visibly shaking.

«We are getting unconfirmed reports that these... things are Vampires. Not metaphorical ones. Real ones. Blood-drinking, superhuman... monsters.»

*

He sat there, frozen. Then, as if shaking himself out of a trance, he opened his school group chat.

Messages were flooding in.

[Rhea]: Holy crap, my neighbor just bit her husband. Literally bit him! Like... took a chunk out of his face!

[Toby]: Bro the sky looks weird. Like it’s turning red.

[Elise]: ARE YOU GUYS SEEING THE NEWS? THIS IS HAPPENING IN TOKYO, TOO. MY COUSIN IS THERE.

[Adrian]: Guys, what the hell is happening? Are you seeing this??

A reply came almost instantly from someone named Vince.

[Vince]: It’s everywhere. New York’s burning. Seoul’s blacked out. And dude… look at the school—

A photo attached.

Adrian’s mouth went dry. The university courtyard was drenched in blood. Bodies laid dead or twitching. A few figures, fast and shadowy, stalked through the grounds, faces covered in red. One figure was crouched, feeding on someone’s neck.

"Raina," Adrian whispered.

He hadn't even thought about her yet.

He checked his messages—nothing from his little sister. His hands moved faster than his thoughts as he dialed his mom.

It rang once. Twice.

Then—click.

“Adrian?” his mother’s voice was trembling, but alive.

“Mom! Are you okay?”

“Oh God, thank God. Adrian, where are you? Are you safe?”

“I’m still in the apartment. I just saw something—Mom, what is happening?”

“We're in the house. Your dad and brothers are locking everything. It's chaos outside—people are turning into… monsters. Adrian, where’s Raina? She didn’t come home last night. Is she with you?”

Adrian felt his stomach twist into a knot.

“She—she should’ve gone to school early for her lab practical…”

"School?!" his mother shrieked. "Adrian, your university's on fire! There’s blood everywhere! Your sister—"

"I know. I know. I'm gonna try to call her right now."

“Please… please find her. And Adrian—don’t be a hero. If it’s too dangerous—”

“I’ll find her,” he said, and ended the call before he lost his courage.

He called Raina.

No answer.

Again.

Still nothing.

He texted her. “Raina, call me ASAP. Please. Please. Please.”

Then turned back to the group chat.

[Claire]: SENIOR HIGH BUILDING IS ON FIRE! I SAW THEM TURN. SOME OF OUR CLASSMATES ARE—OH GOD, I’M GONNA BE SICK.

[Mark]: Sending you pics, Adrian. Don’t look if you get grossed out easily.

He looked.

And regretted it.

The images were unfiltered horror—limbs torn off, blood everywhere, bodies convulsing as their skin twisted and their eyes turned red.

Adrian clenched his fists. He couldn’t sit here. He had to do something.

But then, from the window, he saw something that made everything else feel like a prelude.

It moved on all fours—a huge, deformed creature with gray, stretched skin, its arms extremely long. It jumped across the street like a beast, its claws slicing through cars like butter. It let out a thunderous howl that shook the air.

Then another shadow passed overhead.

Adrian looked up.

Flying.

It had wings. Pink, tough skin stretched between long, batlike arms. Its face was skeletal, with dirty feathers on top. It stopped in the air briefly, then flew down fast. Screams followed as it grabbed a man with its claws and vanished into the sky.

Adrian’s voice was a whisper. “That’s… that’s a Man-Bat. What is actually going on?”

He backed away from the window.

His phone buzzed. Relief surged in his chest.

Maybe it was Raina.

He snatched it.

[NOTIFICATION]: Are you ready to survive the vampire apocalypse? D******d "VAMPWAR" now and build your fortress!

“…What?” Adrian muttered. “A freaking game ad? Now?”

He tried to swipe it away, but the ad wouldn’t disappear.

[Pop-up]: Don’t swipe. I’m literally offering you a way to survive. Accept the reward.

Adrian blinked. His stomach turned cold. “That’s not… normal.”

His finger brushed the screen accidentally. A soft chime rang out.

[System Installing: VAMPWAR—Preparing exclusive user reward…]

A ripple passed through the room. The lights flickered.

He opened his mouth to curse, but then—

Knock knock knock.

A sharp, deliberate kn

ock on his door.

Adrian froze.

The room fell dead silent.

Another knock. Slow. Heavy.