“Hey, Javier.” Officer Bernsen smiled in greeting and shook his head, gesturing to the crime scene. “What a fucking fiasco, huh?”

I nodded. The scent of dried blood hit my nostrils, and I sighed at the familiar, coppery scent. I spared a glance towards the corpses of the couple.

“That one is Sam Brevins,” Officer Bernsen said, gesturing to the man and kicking aside a stray beer can. “He was attacked and killed before his girlfriend even got home.”

The man looked like a used chew toy. His throat was ripped open, and bite marks ran down his arms, neck, and stomach. His tank top was crimson, though I suspect at one point it’d been a crisp white.

“Emily Planter,” Officer Bernsen pointed to the woman. “She worked days as a receptionist at Benson’s law firm. She and her nine year-old daughter Sarah recently moved in with Brevins.”

“Have you found Sarah?” I asked, though I opted to give the woman my attention.

She was deathly pale and sunken, like a deflated balloon. Her eyes were wide, looking small in round, wide sockets of bone. I put on a pair of gloves and gingerly brushed her hair from her nape, and I saw two neat, small puncture wounds on her neck.

“Nope,” Officer Bernsen said, furrowing his brows. “According to their routine, the daughter should’ve been here with Brevins.”

I bit my lip as my heartbeat quickened. I tasted my own blood on my tongue. “We need to find that girl.”

Officer Bernsen, noting the urgency in my tone, put his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll find her, Javier.”

I let out a dry chuckle, trying to soothe my nerves. “Can you piece together this crime, Officer? .”

Officer Bernsen snickered. “You’re so formal, Javier, even after so many years together. You can call me Jim, and you’re the detective. You do it.”

I pointed to Brevins. “This is a vampire figuring out how to feed.” I pointed to Emily. “That’s a fledgling who’s starting to get the hang of it.”

“Don’t you remember your first feast, Javier?” Officer Bernsen laughed. “It’s not easy. This Sarah is a fast learner.”

I chuckled. “Agreed.”

Vampirism was an unfortunate genetic mutation to have, and it made it difficult to live a normal life. Normal wasn’t defined in terms a vampire could live by, and it drove us wild.

Officer Bernsen sighed, shaking his head. “That poor girl must be so scared.”

I grimaced. “This world doesn’t prepare you for craving blood, and you starve yourself until you lash out. It’s an inevitability with our kind.”

Officer Bernsen gave me a small smile. “We’re going to find her.”

I nodded, smiling back.

There was a silver lining, in being born an abomination. Being driven away was a prime opportunity to meet others like you, also being pushed to the same edges of society as you were.

Us vampires, we look after our own. No matter how messy it gets.