Chapter 1: The Whitmores' Blood

“NURSE Lotte, have some coffee. You haven’t had a break in a while,” Nurse Marisol, one of Lotte’s coworkers, called from the nurses’ station, holding a white cup filled with black coffee.

Lotte paused in the middle of writing her clinical progress notes and glanced at the clock on the wall behind Marisol. It was only one in the morning, and she still had two hours left before her shift ended.

She smiled and shook her head. “I’ll pass for now. If I drink that, I might end up being the next patient,” she joked before returning to her work.

Marisol laughed. “Ugh, when will I ever be as hardworking as you, Nurse Lotte? Seriously, I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately. I’ve been feeling tired every day, and I can barely find the motivation to come to work. If I didn’t have bills to pay, I’d happily stay home and sleep all day,” she complained before taking a sip of her coffee.

Lotte capped her ballpoint pen and slipped it into the pocket of her white scrub top before turning her full attention to her friend.

“That’s normal, Sol. If you’re tired, you need to give yourself time to rest. Why not request a week of paid leave? Just because we’re nurses doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to take a break. We spend so much time taking care of our patients that sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. We need to be healthy, too—not just physically, but mentally and spiritually,” she said gently.

Marisol blinked a few times before letting out a deep sigh. “I’m so jealous of how positive you always are, girl. Can I borrow some of that positivity for just one day? I swear, talking to you feels like having a therapy session with a psychiatrist.”

Lotte burst out laughing. After three years of working in the medical field, she had learned to see things from different perspectives and approach people with more patience and understanding.

“Hey, girls! What time are you getting off?” Francis, another nurse on their team, suddenly interrupted their conversation.

“Three o’clock for me,” Lotte answered.

Marisol rolled her eyes and pouted. “Ugh, six o’clock for me.”

Lotte chuckled. “Look on the bright side. Your paycheck at the end of the month is going to be huge.”

She had barely finished speaking when Marisol’s expression brightened at the mention of her paycheck.

“You’re the best, Nurse Lotte! You always know how to make me feel better,” Marisol exclaimed.

“Seriously?” Francis scoffed. “Nurse Lotte gave you a whole speech about taking care of yourself, and you barely reacted. But the moment she mentions your paycheck, suddenly you’re all smiles.”

Marisol shot him an annoyed glare. “You’re seriously annoying. Do you ever get tired of bothering me?” She turned back to Lotte, who was watching their exchange with an amused smile. “Anyway, why are you getting off so early today, Nurse Lotte?”

Lotte’s smile widened, deepening the dimples in her cheeks.

“It’s Daddy’s birthday tomorr—” She stopped herself. “I mean, today. We’re going out to celebrate, and I want to get some sleep before we leave. I don’t want to spend the whole day feeling like a zombie, you know?”

“Aw, happy birthday to Mr. Whitmore!” Marisol said warmly.

“I’ll be sure to tell him,” Lotte replied with a smile.

Their break soon came to an end, and they returned to their respective duties. Francis, however, stayed at the nurses’ station, where Marisol was assigned. As expected, it didn’t take long for the two of them to start bickering again, filling the station with their usual back-and-forth banter.

Lotte could only shake her head at their antics before returning to her work.

She continued making her rounds, checking on her patients and ensuring everything was in order. Before she knew it, two hours had passed, and her shift was finally over.

After changing out of her scrubs in the locker room and freshening up, she was ready to leave. But before heading out, she made sure to say goodbye to her coworkers.

“Take care, Nurse Lotte!” Marisol and Francis said in unison.

Lotte smiled and waved at them. Apparently, that was the one thing those two could agree on.

“Bye, Nurse Lotte. Take care on your way home, okay? There are quite a few lunatics out there tonight,” the security guard said with a smile.

Lotte smiled back and waved at him. “Thank you, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”

She took out her phone and booked an Uber to get home as quickly as possible. All she wanted was to lie down and rest after being on duty for almost thirty hours. The hospital had been short-staffed for the past few days, so she had volunteered to cover the extra shifts.

Besides, she was used to staying awake for long periods because of her insomnia. No matter how badly she wanted to sleep, her body simply refused to cooperate. So, she figured she might as well put those sleepless hours to good use and earn some money.

How ironic. She had spent so much time advising Marisol to take care of herself earlier, yet here she was, doing the exact opposite.

Before long, her Uber arrived, and she climbed into the back seat. She hadn’t expected a driver to accept her booking so quickly, considering how far her house was from the hospital.

“You look exhausted, ma’am,” the driver remarked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

Lotte chuckled and nodded. “You don’t look much better yourself, sir. You’re still out here working at this hour.

“That’s how it is, ma’am. I have a family to feed. If I stop working, we might not have enough to eat,” he replied with a weary smile.

Lotte’s gaze shifted to the back of his neck. The skin there was noticeably red. It wasn’t too obvious at first glance, but she could see the irritation clearly, and judging by its appearance, she suspected it might swell by the following day.

“Please make sure to get some rest whenever you can, sir,” she advised as she rummaged through her bag. Just as her fingers closed around the item she was looking for, the car came to a stop in front of her house. “Here, sir. Put this on the back of your neck. It’s already red, and it might swell up by tomorrow if you don’t take care of it. I wouldn’t want it getting worse and affecting your work,” she said, handing him a hot compress along with his fare.

The driver looked surprised before accepting them with a grateful smile. “Thank you so much, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome!” Lotte replied cheerfully before stepping out of the car.

She watched the Uber drive away before turning toward the building in front of her.

Their family lived on the second floor, right above the laundry shop they owned. To get upstairs, she had to pass through the shop, which meant she needed to unlock its front door first.

She reached into her bag and pulled out her keys, but just as she was about to slide the key into the lock, she stopped.

Her brows knitted together as she stared at the door. It was slightly open.

A strange uneasiness crept into her chest. Her heart began pounding for reasons she couldn’t quite explain. Her father was always careful about locking up the shop, especially since he knew she had her own key and would let herself in when she came home from work.

So why was the door open? A dozen questions flooded her mind, but she quickly tried to dismiss them.

Maybe they just forgot to lock it.

She pushed the door open. “I’m hom—”

The words died in her throat. It felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over her. Her entire body went rigid, and whatever color remained in her already pale face seemed to drain away.

There, sprawled across the floor, was a body. Blood covered the ground beneath it, spreading in dark crimson pools.

For a moment, Lotte couldn’t move. She couldn’t even breathe properly.

She was no stranger to blood. As a nurse, she saw it almost every day. She had treated wounds, assisted patients in critical condition, and witnessed more than her fair share of suffering.

But this—this was different. Her hands trembled. Her mind went blank, refusing to process what her eyes were seeing.

“M-Mommy...” she whispered.

Her voice was barely audible, as though she were afraid that speaking any louder would make the nightmare before her real.

Then her gaze shifted. A few steps away lay another familiar figure—her younger sister. The little girl who should have been asleep upstairs, safe and sound, was lying motionless on the floor.

Lotte’s lips quivered as she stared at her. “L-Lilly...”

Her eyes darted around the room, desperately searching for her father. When she couldn’t find him among the bodies, a flicker of hope ignited in her chest.

Dad... Where are you?

She dropped her bag onto the blood-soaked floor and frantically scanned every corner of the shop. He had to be here somewhere. He had to be alive.

She was about to rush upstairs when a faint sound from above made her freeze.

“D-Dad?” she whispered.

She took a step toward the stairs, ready to run up and find him, but before she could move any farther, someone suddenly grabbed her and yanked her into the narrow space beneath the staircase.

Lotte’s eyes widened in alarm. She was about to scream when a hand clamped over her mouth, silencing her before a single sound could escape. Then she saw who had pulled her into hiding.

Dad...

Her father stood right in front of her, his clothes stained with blood and his hands drenched in crimson. Tears streamed silently down his face as he shook his head, wordlessly pleading with her to remain quiet.

Lotte felt tears well up in her own eyes. Her entire body trembled as the horrifying reality of what was happening slowly sank in.

“Run, Lotte,” her father whispered, lowering his bloodied hand from her mouth. “Go to the Forbidden Forest at the edge of the village. Run as fast as you can, and don’t ever look back.”

She stared at him in disbelief, unable to comprehend what he was asking her to do. Instead of answering, he hurriedly removed his watch and the necklace he had inherited from his grandmother—Lotte’s great-grandmother—and pressed them into her trembling hands.

She immediately shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. “B-But—”

“Shh.” Her father gently pressed a finger to his lips before glancing anxiously toward the second floor. “He’s here. He’s still here.”

His voice trembled, and for the first time in her life, Lotte saw a kind of fear in her father’s eyes that she couldn’t begin to understand.

“Run, Lotte. Save yourself.” He cupped her face with his bloodied hands, forcing himself to smile through his tears. “Don’t worry about us. Please... live for us.”