<h4>Chapter 24: Google Lied and Hollywood Movies Are Crap</h4>


    "You’re new here?" he asked.


    I nodded.


    "Figured as much," he said, eyeing me knowingly. "You know, you only survive here if you follow the rules."


    That was new. "What fucking rules? Nobody tells me shit here, and so far, all I’ve seen is horror after horror."


    He just smiled, a humorless smirk. "Well, there aren’t any official rules, per se, so I made my own."


    I leaned in as he began listing them off.


    "One: Act like nothing is weird, no matter what you see."


    Great. That was already proving impossible.


    "Two: Do whatever you’re told because they love tormenting stubborn ones."


    "Then why do they still torment Sara?" I cut him off, my voice sharper than I intended. "She does everything they tell her to do."


    He tilted his head. "Is she always scared and terrified?"


    I nodded.


    "Then there’s your answer. They also like the scared ones. It’s like when you have that one friend who’s afraid of everything, so you keep scaring them just for fun."


    A chill crept up my spine.


    "Which brings me to my third rule—don’t show them your fear. I’d rather they smell it on you than see you give it away."


    I swallowed hard, gripping the can of milk tighter.


    <i>"And myst rule? Get a powerful wolf or vampire interested in you. They’ll keep the others off your back. These creatures are possessive as fuck, so it’s better to deal with just one than a whole pack. But"—his eyes darkened—"make sure their interest doesn’t fade. Because if they get bored, they’ll either pass you around to their friends or withdraw their protection. And then? You’re free game."</i>


    I felt sick.


    "How long have you been here?<strong>"</strong> I asked.


    He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a moment before answering. When he opened them, they were clouded with something I couldn’t quite ce—nostalgia? Resignation?


    "I’m in my fifth year now. I learned to ept my fate. You’ll be fine too... if you ept it early."


    His words felt like a death sentence.


    He stood, watching me for a moment longer before adding, "Oh, and don’t walk aroundte at night. By seven, you should be locked in your ce, doors and windows shut."


    As he turned to leave, he paused, his gaze lingering on me.


    "And onest thing—don’t try anything stupid. No one has ever managed to kill one of them."


    He hesitated. "Many have tried. Their endings were far worse than what we’re living through now."


    With that, he walked back to the counter, leaving me sitting there in the middle of the milk section—cold, shaken, and very much trapped.


    So much for my brilliant n to keep them away.


    Great. Google lied to me.


    But they had to have a weakness. They had to. I refused to believe otherwise.


    The real question was—was it worth it?


    The cashier said those who tried to fight back faced a death worse than what we were already going through. But what could be worse than this? Being treated as blood bags and ythings for monsters? What exactly happened to the ones who resisted?


    And for my case... did Reed and ze count as powerful enough to keep the other creeps off my back? Were they actually interested in me, or was their obsession just another way to kill me? Because let’s be real—they both tried to end me in one way or another.


    So, who was the lesser evil?


    One thing was certain—the others were terrified of them. Their aura was darker, heavier... colder.


    And then there was the biggest problem of all.


    If they really were interested... they were interested in use. The fake me. The boyish disguise I had put on. Which meant...


    <fn5626> This content belongs to F?nd-Novel</fn5626>


    They were gay.


    And when they found out the truth? That I wasn’t use, but re—the real me, the girl?


    I’d be royally, double fucked.


    I stayed in the milk section a little longer, staring nkly at the rows of cartons, my mind racing. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Go back to the boarding house? Yeah, no thanks. Stay out here all day? That wasn’t exactly safe either. The cashier’s warning about being indoors by seven echoed in my head. If nightfall was a problem, what about daytime?


    Because if I was being honest, this town wasn’t right— not even in broad daylight.


    The streets outside looked normal at first nce. A few people walked around, some shopping, others heading somewhere with purpose. But something was off. Their movements were too... measured. Too quiet. Like they were acting human rather than being human.


    A woman at the end of the aisle caught my eye. She stoodpletely still, facing the shelf, but she wasn’t looking at the items. She was looking at me.


    My breath caught in my throat. I quickly turned away, pretending to read the ingredients on a carton of almond milk like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Just act normal. That was Rule #1, right?


    I put the carton back and casually nced her way again.


    She was still staring.


    No blinking. No movement.


    My stomach twisted.


    Slowly, I grabbed a random snack off the shelf and headed toward the cashier, pretending I hadn’t just been watched like prey. The guy at the register didn’t say anything as I handed him the item, but I could tell he knew something was up.


    "Where are you going after this?" he asked, scanning my item. His tone was casual, but I caught the underlying concern.


    "Dunno. Just gonna walk around, I guess," I muttered, handing over the money.


    "Don’t," he said, sliding my change across the counter. "Find somewhere safe. And if you see something weird, don’t react. Just keep moving."


    I swallowed hard. "Weird like what?"


    He didn’t answer. Just gave me a long, knowing look.


    I turned to leave, gripping the stic bag tighter than necessary. My gut told me I shouldn’t look back. I shouldn’t check if that woman was still staring.


    But of course, I did.


    She was gone.


    And yet, somehow, I knew she was still watching.