Frenzy... Blood in the Streets... Run...

MARY

I saw off my last customer of the night and clicked the door shut.

Moonlight filtered into the room, illuminating the tangled mess of my sheets. I glanced at them with a sigh, then started picking up my discarded underwear from the floor. Once I was decent enough, I dove face-first onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow.

God, I was exhausted. Today had been one thing after another, and the clients tonight were bottom-of-the-barrel trash. I just wanted to sleep.

"Mmm..."

But the sheets were damp and the room smelled like… well, like work. Disgusted, I climbed back out of bed and threw the window open.

The stifling stench of the room faded, replaced by the frantic roar of the city outside.

Is something going on out there?

Usually, the sky would be starting to brighten by now. This was the hour when the Red-light District finally tucked itself in. But tonight, the sun felt like it was never coming, and the whole town was buzzing with a weird, panicked energy.

Up in the sky, that damn red moon was still hanging there.

Looking toward the horizon, I saw flames licking the sky. Something was burning—a big fire. I could just barely catch the scent of smoke on the breeze, but there was another smell cutting through it. Something raw, metallic, and pungent.

Blood.

The fire was far enough away that it probably wouldn't reach me, but the vibe was all wrong. People were sprinting through the streets like their lives depended on it. Why the hell were they in such a rush?

It’s just a fire. We get those all the time here.

I stood by the window, bathed in the moon’s crimson glow. My black lace stood out against my pale skin, and even in this light, my reddish-purple hair and eyes looked unnervingly vivid. Usually, if a woman like me stood by a window in her underwear, half the men on the street would stop to gawk.

Tonight? Not a single one.

I watched the chaos with a cold, detached gaze. I’d been sold off at thirteen and had spent five years rotting in this place. Every fresh meat arrival in the Lawless City spends their first month dreaming of a way out. Then, slowly, that hope rots away until they’re just another shade of gray, dyed in the colors of this hellhole.

I hadn't given up yet. Not entirely.

But honestly, sometimes I thought it would be easier if I just did. I’d been feeling that a lot lately. I was one of the top girls in the district, but I wasn't the top. The Madam always told me I could reach the peak if I actually put my heart into it.

Maybe she was right. Maybe that was the "correct" way to live here. Just forget everything and drown myself in nights of fake love and easy pleasure.

"Sigh..."

Thinking about the outside world was a bad habit. I guess this is how the city finally gets you.

I reached out to pull the window shut, and that’s when it happened.

"Kyaa!"

A beast came flying through the window.

No, wait—not a beast. It was humanoid, but it moved with a feral, twitchy grace. A Ghoul.

"A-ah..."

I scrambled backward, crawling across the floor. The Ghoul pulled its lips back, baring a row of jagged fangs in a sick grin, and lunged at me.

Tears blurred my vision. This was it. I closed my eyes and waited for the end.

"I believe... I told you to flee."

The voice was cold and sudden. In the same breath, the Ghoul was shredded into a dozen pieces. Chunks of wet flesh thudded onto the floorboards, and a spray of hot blood painted the room.

"Y-you're..."

My heart hammered against my ribs as I looked at the figure. I knew that silhouette. He stood there holding a Jet-black Blade, draped in a heavy Jet-black Longcoat.

Shadow.

"The Frenzy has begun... Behold, the city is stained in crimson..."

"The city...?"

I grabbed a sheet to cover myself and peered out the window.

"N-no way... That’s horrible."

The streets had turned into a slaughterhouse while I wasn't looking. Blood was everywhere. There were piles of unrecognizable meat and Ghouls tearing through everything in sight. I saw girls from the shops—my friends—trying to run, only to be dragged down and mauled.

"Ah, look out!"

I saw one of my seniors about to be gutted and screamed out a warning. But a heartbeat later, the Ghoul pouncing on her was sliced into mincemeat.

"The Frenzy has begun... A Storm of Blood will rage..."

The man in the Jet-black Longcoat was suddenly there, standing in the street.

"Wait, what!?"

I looked back at the spot beside me. He was gone. He’d moved so fast I hadn't even seen him leave.

"Flee... before it is too late..."

"Are you... actually helping us?"

A scream erupted nearby, and the moment my attention wavered, Shadow vanished completely.

"The Frenzy... blood... flee..."

His voice echoed from somewhere in the air, punctuated by the sight of Ghoul corpses being tossed into the sky like ragdolls. I couldn't see him anymore, but I could track his path by the trail of exploding monster parts receding into the distance.

I didn't waste another second. I threw some clothes on over my lingerie, grabbed my bag, and vaulted out the second-story window.

My gut hadn't lied to me. Shadow really had come to save me.

"Thank you, Mr. Shadow..."

I ducked into the shadows, using the chaos to make my break for it. I made a silent promise then and there: one day, I’d find a way to pay that man back.