December 4th 1878

The moon shone like an enormous, glowing pearl in the sky that night. Grey clouds ghosted against it, casting dark shadows on the earth below. The wind gently swept through the short black strands of little Evelyn's Hair as she made her way home from the market. It had been slightly colder than normal that night, winter was crawling up closer each day attacking any warmth it could find. Evelyn could feel the winter nipping at her petite fingers that were numb and red from the cold. Quickening her pace she held on tightly to the straw-bound basket her mother had sent her away with. Evelyn was only eight years old at the time, and travelling through the streets of Paris late at night scared her. But her dear father had grown deathly ill throughout the past few days, and she was willing to help out with chores while her mother stayed at home trying with all of her strength to get her husband well again.

She walked on further, determined to get home with the medicine her father desperately needed. The lights from the city had faded as she came closer to a wooded area with trees stretching out from all angles. Evelyn was now surrounded in darkness. The darkness made her feel fear and caused her tiny heartbeat to quicken. If only she knew that the bloodthirsty creature lurking deep within the darkness was much more terrifying.

She hadn't realised she'd been staring down at her feet until she had to tug on her little hooded coat as it slumped to the side. She'd loved that coat; her grandmother had made it for her, using rich red material that stood out among others. Red had always been Evelyn's favourite colour, ever since her grandmother had told her the story of little red riding hood, that was another reason why she loved the coat. She looked just like little red riding hood whenever she wore it.

When she raised her eyes from the ground, confusion masked over her childish features. Her perfect eyebrows furrowed together as she took in her surroundings. Tall trees with sharp-edged branches towered over her small figure and almost seemed to reach out for her. She could see no movement within the woods; it was still and chillingly silent. Though her confusion was not caused by how dead the area looked, it was to why she was there in the first place. If she remembered correctly, she was meant to be following the brick path to her home. Evelyn realised then that she had not been paying attention to where her feet were taking her, and therefore they had led her deep within the sinister forest.

Her eyes darted around everywhere, searching for a path or trail back to the city, but there was nothing but dark woodland surrounded her. How will I ever get home now? She questioned herself as the wind blew roughly against her, causing shivers to crawl up her spine. Warm, wet tears leaked from her eyes, she didn't like it here, she didn't like the dark and she certainly didn't like being alone. She wished she was back in her safe, warm home with her parents beside her, caring for her.

Then as Evelyn thought of these comforting things she longed to be reunited with, she realised that standing there feeling helpless was not going to get her home. So, she started to walk forward again, not knowing where to go, but certain that if she kept walking she'd find someone who could help her get home. Her light footsteps that seemed so gentle to her, almost echoed through the silent woods. She tried to keep her eyes straight in front, refusing to look at the eerie trees. An owl's shriek caused her heart to miss a beat and she gasped sharply. Her whole body froze as the owl swooped above her head and landed on an outstretched branch on one of the trees. The owl's wide eyes stared at her curiously and it cocked its head to the side. Evelyn ignored the owl's stare and continued further into the woods, occasionally glancing over her shoulder to see the owl following her close behind.

The sudden sound of harsh whispers caused her body to halt. Her head turned sharply in every direction, searching for where the whispers were coming from. When she looked forward again something shiny caught her eye, she focused in on the tall figure standing before her in the distance. As she looked closer she saw that there were two figures in fact, one was almost towering over the other. The figure towering over the other was a man, she could see his limp, black hair hanging around his face like a curtain, and the shiny object she'd seen was held tight in his grasp. Evelyn realised then just exactly what the shiny object was. The man slowly brought the knife closer to the other figures throat. His black cloak swayed with the wind and his top hat tipped forward as he bent his head downwards so it was inches away from the other figures. As she stepped a little closer, Evelyn could make out the other figure was a woman with beautiful golden locks weaving down her back. She wore a silk emerald corset dress that hugged tightly around her waist. Black lace ribbons tied the corset together, making her waist look so tiny. Evelyn couldn't understand how the woman was able to breathe with a corset that tight. The man kept travelling the knife up the woman's slender body until its tip was just touching her shoulder blade.

Their faint whispers were hard to make out from where Evelyn was, so she took another few steps closer.

"You should be thankful my dear, for I am merely doing you a favour. I'm setting you free from this hell you are living in, you will no longer have the burden of selling your body to others."

The man hissed in the woman's ear. Evelyn noticed that the woman had a look of fear in her eyes and she whimpered as the man pushed her roughly against the hollow tree.

"Shh… Do not make a sound and I promise you, mademoiselle, I shall make this quick and painless."

He whispered against her exposed neck as the knife slithered closer to the side of her face. He pressed his lips to her soft skin and her frantic pulse vibrated through his body, he could almost taste her heartbeat.

Evelyn's breath caught as she listened to the things he was saying, and she understood then that something horrible was about to happen. The man put the slightest bit of pressure on the knife as it slid behind her ear and the woman gasped.

"Please monsieur, please! I will give you anything you desire, I will obey all that you command… Please do not take my life!"

Evelyn watched as the woman begged for mercy, her eyes letting out droplets of tears as she tried to convince him to spare her life. But her pleas meant nothing to him; all he was focused on was the tiny beads of blood that were appearing from the pressure of the knife against her flesh.

"Oh come now precious, do not lie to me. What has a whore got to live for?"

He hissed again and smirked as he pierced the knife through her delicate skin. He did not wish to hear her cries, so he quickly sliced the blade across from ear to ear. Blood seeped from the gash and his eyes grew wide with desire. Her limp body fell against him and he couldn't stand waiting any longer.

Evelyn stood and watched with wide eyes, horrified at what she was seeing before her. He pressed his mouth to the slit in her neck and lapped up every drop of blood. The smirk he had once worn was now spread on his thin lips again and exposed his darkest secret. Evelyn's gaze zoomed in on the razor-sharp fangs that bore into the woman's neck, gleaming white in the light of the moon. She could see the blood trickling out of the side of his hungry mouth as he devoured the liquid; his eyes clenched shut savouring the euphoric feeling.

He knew he had to leave now before people started to get suspicious of the missing whore, but as the metallic taste poured into his mouth he just couldn't find the will to stop. Though he was sure he had heard footsteps close by before he had ceased the beautiful woman. Tastes as sweet as she looks, he thought.

Evelyn kept shutting her eyes tight and opening them again, assuring herself it was all just a dreadful nightmare and that she would soon wake up; but she knew there was no waking up from reality. She had never dared to imagine that such a creature roamed the earth; a creature who craved human blood like a drowning man craves the air. This would haunt her for the rest of her pitiful life; never would she be able to clear the image of the innocent woman from her head. She started to retreat backwards, not wanting to witness the scene any further. As her foot stepped backwards it accidentally landed on a thin twig and snapped under her light weight. It hadn't seemed loud to her eyes, but the creature just a few metres in front of her had heard the snap loud and clear.

His head immediately shot up from his meal and turned to where the sound had come from. When his deep red orbs fell upon Evelyn's petite figure, his body stiffened. The little girl in his eyes was a definite threat to his being; he could certainly predict that she would run away from here and tell the people what she had seen. He couldn't let that happen. A low snarl ripped from his blood-covered lips and he stalked towards the innocent child. Just like everyone, his frame towered over her and he looked down into a pair of petrified, icy-blue eyes. Although his rage was overpowering every feeling he had, he simply could not find the guts to kill the angelic girl below him. Her short black hair rimmed around her cherubic features, and in some way he felt fond of her.

He kneeled down gently in front of her and watched as her body tensed with every move he made.

"Run little one, run away now or I might have to rethink my decision to let you go."

He growled at her and Evelyn obeyed willingly. She retreated away from the man, but kept her eyes locked with his. It was as if a force had compelled her eyes to his until he was out of sight. She would never forget those eyes. She ran as fast as the swooping wind around her and nothing could make her stop, not even when the basket had slipped from her grip and her red coat had caught onto a branch, tearing it from her back. She kept running, for only time would tell if she'd be staring into those bloodthirsty eyes again.