She is not an investigator.

"I don't understand you."

“There’s no need to lie to me, Igris. I’ve lived here for a very long time and naturally know everything about this place.”

He stroked his beard, looked around to make sure no one was around, and then whispered to Igris.

"Those, special vampires."

"..."

Igris narrowed her eyes slightly and took a small step back, but before she could say anything, the old priest in front of her suddenly raised his hands.

"Don't be too nervous! I'm just an old man with one foot in the grave. I won't mean any harm, so you can relax and talk to me about this... I guess you're also curious about where those guys came from."

"...Indeed, you're right."

Upon receiving Igris's reply, the old priest's smile widened even more.

"The story should start from about ten years ago... Although it's a long time ago, it's definitely necessary to start from ten years ago to make it complete."

…………

Ten years ago, the first seed sprouted in the downtown area.

It takes root in the soil, is nourished by the darkness, and continues to grow strong.

When it first broke through the ground, no one expected that the disaster would happen so suddenly.

That was the source of a calamity, a bloody plague.

Indeed, it is the end of countless lives.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Ash, Ash! What are you daydreaming about?"

"……Feel sorry."

"Don't just stand there. Today is your first day on the job. Why don't you go and talk to your boss and make a good impression?"

"..."

The man named Ash rubbed his cheeks hard, trying to shake off all the gloomy feelings from his mind.

Today was his first day as the sheriff of the lower town, and perhaps he should have been happy about it, but for some reason, he felt a strange sense of gloom in his heart.

Perhaps it was because he had been in the city for too long and hadn't seen the sunlight; otherwise, he really couldn't think of any other possibilities.

“Sir, my name is Ash, Ash Grace, I am twenty-one years old, and I am the newly appointed sheriff.”

The reporting and conversation with his superior went smoothly, and there was nothing else noteworthy, but in short, he successfully became a sheriff in the lower town.

He had fewer colleagues than he had expected, but they were all very nice, warm, and friendly people.

On his first day at work, he received many gifts from his colleagues, which relieved his feelings of unease and made him feel much more relaxed.

There are four sheriffs in the lower city, making five if you include him. This number isn't too many, but given the area and population of the lower city, there won't be a shortage of manpower.

Normally, patrols are conducted in pairs, with the other three on standby. The patrols usually involve patrolling the lower city a few times before heading back to rest.

This job is much easier than I imagined, but that's not a bad thing. At least Ash prefers a relaxed and ordinary life to living a life of constant torment.

"Speaking of which, Ash, I remember you have a sister, right?"

"Ah, indeed... she's two years younger than me and still in school."

Ash scratched his cheek and said somewhat embarrassedly.

"That's great! I want a little sister too, but unfortunately I only have a little brother."

The man patrolling with Ash was a twin. His brother was also a sheriff, but the two didn't get along very well and often disliked each other.

This might be why he would prefer a younger sister.

Ash's family is quite happy. His father used to be a teacher, and his mother ran a shop. After retiring, they continued to run the shop and lived a fairly comfortable life.

"But then again, why did you choose to become a sheriff? You can't make much money in a place like this."

"Well... it's not really about making money. I was born here, and my parents and sister live here too. A big reason for this is that I just want to protect them in my own way, and becoming a sheriff is probably the most convenient way."

"That sounds really good."

Their conversations were always intermittent, partly because Ash didn't like to talk, so the other person always started the conversation.

Secondly, because... they were still on patrol after all.

"To be honest, living in the city can be a bit tough. If you don't see the sun for too long, you feel like your health will deteriorate. It's better to get some sun during your vacation."

"I will."

Ash casually agreed, but his strolling steps suddenly stopped at that moment.

"what happened?"

The man traveling with Ash also stopped, looking at him with some curiosity, and then at the direction Ash was looking.

"Is there anything in the alley?"

It was a dark alley, very deep, and you couldn't see the details inside.

Ash frowned, his fingers reaching for the pistol at his waist.

He heard strange noises.

One kind of sound is the sound of eating hidden in the darkness.

The sound was faint, but it was definitely there, as if something was being torn apart or chewed up.

The sound was somewhat nauseating, like sticky blood mixed with various remains, and you could smell its strong, rotten stench just by getting close.

"Ash, shall we go in and take a look?"

"...Okay, be careful."

The two men exchanged a glance, simultaneously drew their sidearms, and slowly walked into the alley.

As the footsteps sounded, the strange eating noises abruptly stopped, plunging the entire alley into a deathly silence.

Ash could even feel his own heavy breathing and heartbeat.

"Wang!"

"……call."

A stray dog ​​suddenly rushed out and started barking wildly at the two people in front of them, who immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"It was just a dog scavenging for food in the trash...it gave me quite a fright."

"yes…"

Ash smiled wryly, but as he turned to leave, a sense of unease suddenly flashed through his mind.

He stopped again, gripped the gun tightly, and looked at the barking stray dog ​​in front of him.

"Ash?"

"...What is it eating?"

"What else can they eat? Of course, they're rummaging through the trash... What else can stray dogs eat?"

Ash shook his head at his companion's answer.

"Look more closely."

With his repeated reminder, the image of the stray dog ​​in the darkness became deeply etched into their eyes.

It was indeed a dog, a tan dog, baring its teeth and barking loudly, protecting its food.

And on its forepaws, on the corners of its mouth, and in its teeth.

It was a deep red bloodstain that was almost completely dried.

Behind it, hidden by its not-so-large body, a pale arm was also exposed to the two people's view.

a corpse.

A human corpse.

The bizarre stage play – The City of Gluttonous Bloodthirsty Thugs: Chapter Eleven, If I Could, I Would Kill Everyone.

"That corpse was like a fuse; the moment it appeared, the entire city descended into chaos."

"The corpses rose from the ground again, rushing towards the crowd, launching indiscriminate attacks and killing every life they saw."

"After that, those who died rose from the ground again and became one of them, in an endless cycle."

"In just half a day, the city fell completely, with few survivors left and the entire city was sealed off."

"People don't know where those things come from, just like the creatures that also live in the shadows of this city don't know either."

"They attacked all life indiscriminately, and during that time, the lower city was almost a dead city, devoid of any life."

"Until someone discovered that those things also feed; they consume the flesh and blood of their companions and turn it into nutrients for their own bodies."

"Therefore, naturally, they will also produce things that are inedible."

"For example, vampires."

"Vampire flesh and blood are highly poisonous. In addition, they are naturally sensitive to sunlight and fear exposure to light."

"So, they have a new food source: vampires from all over the world. After consuming the flesh and blood of vampires, their bodies undergo similar changes. Some die directly, while others become mutant vampires."

"They began to develop weaknesses: fear of the sun, silver, easier to kill, and more prone to starvation."

"So the vampire hunters set out, they went back to the lower city and tried to reclaim our city."

"But what no one expected was that what awaited them was not an overwhelming attack, but a pre-planned ambush."

"Instead, it comes from their reconciliation."

"That's right, they have gained intelligence and reason, stopped cannibalism, and adopted a human-like lifestyle and social system."

"They are not pollution, but a form of evolution."

"The evolution of the essence of their lives."

…………

"So you really agreed?"