AN: This will be unbetaed, so all mistakes are my own. I needed a more quick turn around so I can post more often and since my RL schedule is chaotic, that makes it harder. Some of these will have over one chapter, others will only have one. Some will not even have a real ending like they often leave most horror open-ended. I mean for these to spook and entertain. Some can be violent, I'll put a TW for trigger warning for anything that may be considered a trigger. I hope you enjoy!
The Dark Hallway I
Edward woke up with a start. A commotion in the hallway of his small building disturbed him, but he thought nothing of it. The new neighbor, Bella, had moved in a few nights before, having introduced herself the first night. She was a pretty little thing, but much too young and sweet for a cynical bastard like him.
Hadn't she mentioned she finished moving, though? And why after one in the morning? Should he offer some help?
It could invite for more conversation and he wasn't interested in any. She was far too tempting. It would be best to leave it, her, alone. He shifted on his couch, having fallen asleep watching bullshit news again. The fall evening was cool... too quiet after the noise he heard earlier. His brow furrowed when a heartbreaking whimper followed a few thumping sounds.
Bella.
He fluidly rose to his feet, his mind on alert as his fingers curled around the grip of his service weapon on the coffee table. A glance through the peephole of his door gave him nothing on what to expect to find out in the darkened hallway. It did, however, raise a couple of questions. What happened to the lights? It was usually fully lit, no matter the time of day. What would he find when he opened the door?
Another soft whimper made him curse, giving him no choice but to investigate. The click of the deadbolt sounded loud in the still night. His heart raced, pounding in his chest as sweat beaded across his brow.
Something felt off.
Edward's latest nightmares started in the same manner, which made fear cloud his vision. It felt harder than usual to detach himself, to do whatever he had to do. Instead of calling out if he could be of help, he swung the door open fast, giving whoever was in the hallway little chance to react. Or run and hide. Something large blurred past him, thundering down the stairs.
He sprinted down the hall he shared with the other tenant of the building. The café on the bottom floor had closed hours earlier. Something crunched under Edward's boots, not at all surprised to find they busted the light fixtures, except for one at the end of the hall. His vision spun when he focused that a single source of brightness. Whatever was happening, Edward was precariously close to losing his balance.
Nothing felt right, the air too thick around him, electric.
Bella stood on the tips of her bare toes by the wall a few feet away. The blood trails on the wood flooring led to her likely because of the broken glass. She looked around the corner toward the darkened staircase without exposing her position. Smart woman. She wore shorts and a threadbare pink shirt, her long, dark hair a mess of waves down her back. Her apartment door lay wide open, her weapon of convenience was a huge rolling pin raised up and ready. Her head tilted slightly toward him and she took a deep breath. She turned to look at him, her eyes reflecting in the poor lighting for a moment. "Edward?"
The light had to be a figment of his usually underactive imagination.
Footsteps pounded from the staircase again. Her attacker was coming back.
A loud bang and something that sounded suspiciously like a growl made her look away. "Run!" She turned toward Edward as the last light fixture over her head spewed a fountain of sparks and exploded. Glass rained down, but he towered over her, his body taking the brunt of it. Still covering her body as best as he could, Edward grabbed her and pushed into her apartment the moment he heard a deep resonating growl that chilled him to the bone.
Time to flee, he'd ask questions later.
.
.
.
"Did someone or something hurt you?" Edward double-checked the locks, cursing when something large swiped at the door, rattling the hinges and knob. Was her attacker on something? As a cop, even on the outskirts of Seattle, he saw a lot of shit, but a growling human, not so much. Okay, he heard a few growls in his time, but whatever he heard out there sounded inhuman.
"Does an asshole count as a 'something'?" She shrugged, rubbing the making of a bruise on her cheek.
Seeing it on her pale skin made his blood boil. "Whoever out there do that to you? Do you know him or somethin'?"
"I've seen at work, then here, I thought he was a friend of yours or something."
"I don't have friends, Bella. I'm going after him. Call the police, tell them my name and badge number." Edward had her repeat the numbers as he looked into the hallway, trying to discern what had growled at them. "Did that fucker bring a dog or something?"
"I thought I heard one, too, never saw it though. He's probably long gone by now." Bella handed Edward her cell phone, which he looked at with distaste. "I don't have a landline."
"Remind me to tell you how stupid that is later." Grabbing the cell phone, he called into his precinct. "Not an ex, right?" The unexpected shot of jealously unnerved him.
She rolled her eyes, rubbing her hand hard. "No, just a stupid pest that won't take no for an answer." Holding up her hand for inspection, she hissed. "That fucker bit me and drew blood! I want him behind bars. I am so pressing charges and putting a restraining order on his ass."
Edward smirked at the fiery temper and felt grateful he wouldn't have to convince her to do all those things.
"What does he look like?" Edward told his partner about the suspect, a male in his early twenties, six feet tall, approximately one hundred eighty pounds, white with dark blond hair. Answered to Paul and asshole, according to his neighbor. "Stay here, I'm going to double-check the rest of the building and downstairs."
She nodded and promised to lock up after him. "Anything else?"
Edward's gaze swept from the tips of bare feet to the top of her head, lingering on every curve on the way up. "Put on more clothes since my partner and a few others are coming since you are too distracting."
She rolled her eyes and slammed the door in his face.
A few minutes later, Bella hummed as moonlight filtered through her bedroom window, choosing carefully what to wear. Her blood simmered under her skin when she thought of the way the detective looked at her, those enchanting, but sad green eyes. The night was still young and fraught with possibilities.
The bite, in the fleshly part between her thumb and forefinger, itched and burned. "Stupid fucking werewolf."
The incident would only make her more determined to lure her mate. As equals, they'd have each other's backs in battle. Then she thought of Edward again and smiled.
.
.
.
Paul hissed and writhed in a small wooded area that provided him with some cover. The transformation back to human usually took less than a minute, though every second painful. He felt different ever since he took a bite of the woman he followed earlier. He had found her scent seductive, alluring. His evil intentions of sex, before having her for dinner, faded away as his blood boiled in his veins.
He had suspected she was a vampire, but the moment his teeth cut through her skin, he knew she was something else. He watched helplessly as blisters blossomed over his skin, his bones cracked, sending him to his knees.
"Poisonous." His howls and cries echoed into the night.
He remembered some legends of his people. Vampires and werewolves were not the only monsters that walked the earth. There were many others, but he never had believed they could find one in such a young, innocent-looking woman. Should've known better than to walk into her darkened hallway.
