I clutched the claw mark in my side, looking up at the hospital. It loomed overhead like a shining white monolith; it especially stood out compared to the dirty, decrepit town surrounding it.

It was... oddly, eerily quiet. The monster that had been following me was gone now, leaving only the quiet sounds of breathing and a steady heartbeat. I ground my heels into the hard dirt, thinking. A strange, amorphous dread coiled in the pit of my stomach.

Something was very, very wrong here.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Either I went into the hospital, or I turned around and tried fighting that... thing. My chances were better here; I stepped inside.

Immediately, I was hit with the smell of blood. The hospital seemed pristine, but an irony tang filled the air, along with the faint scent of disinfectant. I shuddered. That definitely wasn't a good sign.

I took another step into the hospital, then another and another until I was standing directly ahead of the front desk. It was deserted, but just as neat as the rest of the hospital. I leaned over, taking a peek at anything I could see from here, when suddenly-

I heard something. A quiet rustling broke the silence, like a bird taking off. I whipped around and scanned the room. 'What was that?'

There were still no signs of movement. Or life at all, for that matter. I sighed, letting my shoulders slump. I was still no closer to figuring out who- or what- lived in this hospital. Obviously, there was something keeping it clean and organized, but what?

My question was, regrettably, answered almost immediately. I heard the quick tap-tap-tap of boot heels clicking along a tile floor, and I barely had the time to turn around before there was a man standing right next to me.

The first thing I noticed was that he was tall. He towered over me- he had to be at least a foot taller than me, if not more. He had broad shoulders, too, which gave the impression that he was blotting out the sun.

The second thing I noticed was his lab coat. It was apparently tailored to fit him perfectly; he wore it like a suit or a trenchcoat, all sharp edges and clean lines. It was also stained with blood, which was not very comforting.

The third thing I noticed was his... well, appearance. His eyes had a slight tinge of red to them, his skin was just a bit too pale, his ears were a little too pointy, and most damningly...

His teeth were unnaturallty, monstrously sharp. I took a step away from him, back hitting the counter as I muttered, "Oh shit."

He grinned. The light bounced off the glasses in a way that hid his eyes for just a moment, almost making him look human. "It has been... a while since anyone with a heartbeat came in here. I'm so happy to have a new test subject!"

I froze. I knew my hands were shaking, but I did my best to play it cool as I said, "Test- What kind of testing?"

He opened his mouth to respond again, then stopped, eyes snapping to the wound in my side. He let out a sound between a growl and a huff, leaning forward. "Oh. This complicates things," he muttered. "You were attacked by... Ah, Scheiße."

Before I could ask what he meant, my vision started to go dark. I yelped and tried to dodge around the vampire, but I almost fell over in the attempt; he caught me before I could hit the ground. "I would not recommend that," he said cheerfully.

I could feel myself starting to pass out. Despite that, I managed to ask, "Why?"

"The venom will spread more the more you move around," the man explained matter-of-factly. "And I cannot have you dying on me yet!" He laughed like it was a private joke.

If I had been any more lucid, I probably would have been concerned. As it was, I just whispered, "God damn it."

Then, the last of my consciousness finally left me, and I passed out.