# 👻 **1. “The Highgate Vampire” – A Very Long Story*

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### *Prologue*

Spring in London can be treacherous: one day the sun warms the cobblestone streets, the next a cold fog creeps into the alleys like a living creature.

That night, the fog was the color of ash and thickly entwined the metal gates of Highgate Cemetery.

Thomas Walford – a twenty-nine-year-old journalist – stood outside the entrance, lantern in hand.

He had been sent by the editors to write a story about “urban legends,” but Thomas took the subject more seriously.

For several weeks, animals had been dying in the area, people had heard screams at night, and some claimed to have seen a figure with red eyes.

Thomas wrote in his journal:

> *“If even part of this is true, London should know. And if it’s just rumors, I’ll explain.”*

Then the gate door creaked open.

### *Chapter I: A Space That Doesn't Live*

The cemetery looked different at night than it did during the day. Tall, Gothic monuments cast black shadows, and the paths stretched like tunnels leading deeper into the underworld.

Thomas walked slowly, placing his feet so quietly, as if afraid to wake something slumbering between the graves.

At one point, the lantern trembled.

The flame went out.

"Not now..." he muttered.

Then he heard the first sound.

A soft, drawn-out rustle.

As if something were sliding across the ground.

Thomas lit the lighter. For a moment, with a brief flash, he saw a silhouette standing behind the monument.

Tall.

Worn-out clothes.

Hands tangled like branches.

Eyes... red.

Before he could blink, the figure disappeared into the darkness.

### *Chapter II: Lucy*

The next day, Thomas met Lucy Marston, an art history student who was researching cemetery symbolism.

“You work here too?” she asked, seeing his notes.

Thomas nodded.

He told her about their nightly encounter.

Lucy paled.

“It wasn’t a hallucination. This vampire… he really exists.”

“Vampire?” he repeated ironically.

Lucy pulled an old book from her bag.

“Read it. In the 19th century, a man accused of occultism was buried here. His name was Elias Morcant. He disappeared from a village in Transylvania, then reappeared in London. People said he lived an unnaturally long life. After his burial, the first killings began. The police never explained them.

“And you say he came back?”

Lucy looked at Thomas seriously.

“Highness. Red eyes. Disappearing without a sound.” It all matches the descriptions. This cemetery is his home.

### *Chapter III: A Scream Beneath*

They returned there together that night.

They took two lanterns, a camera, and a crowbar just in case.

Highgate seemed to be watching them.

As they walked down Egyptian Avenue, they heard:

**a scream.**

A short, piercing one.

It came from the catacombs.

They descended the stairs. The lantern illuminated the coffins, some open, others protruding.

"Thomas..." whispered Lucy. "Look over there."

On one of the coffins lay the body of a fox. Desiccated, as if someone had drunk all its blood.

Suddenly, the metal gate slammed.

As if someone had slammed it shut.

Lucy squealed and grabbed Thomas's hand.

And then a voice came from the darkness.

A low one. Vibrant.

Unlike any human.

> **“You shouldn’t be here.”**

Morcant emerged from the shadows.

His skin was ashen gray, his lips livid, his eyes glowing like two rubies.

His overlong hands dangled like spider legs.

“Run!” Thomas shouted, pushing Lucy.

### *Chapter IV: The Chase*

The gate was locked.

They had to escape through the alleys.

The vampire moved unnaturally fast, gliding over the ground.

There was a chill… as if a north wind had breathed around them.

Thomas fell. Lucy turned to face him.

“Thomas!” she called.

Morcant stopped in front of them.

> **“Your blood smells… interesting.”**

He grabbed Thomas by the throat with one hand. The strength was inhuman.

Lucy, trembling, swung the crowbar and struck the vampire in the shoulder.

The metal scraped as if it had struck stone.

The vampire hissed.

> **“Stupid girl…”**

But he let go of Thomas.

### *Chapter V: Morcant’s Tomb*

In panic, they hid behind an old mausoleum.

There, Lucy showed Thomas something she had found earlier—an old ritual written in a book.

“His crypt is here, not far away. There is a way to stop him. But we need time.”

They didn’t have time.

Morcant already knew where they were.

They ran into the tomb.

The walls were covered in runes that glowed faintly.

A stone sarcophagus stood inside.

“Help me!” Lucy shouted, pushing open the lid.

Detritus lay inside: bones, an old locket, a black cloak.

"We must destroy the medallion. It's connected to it."

Morcant entered the tomb.

He barely fit through the doorframe.

> **Leave it alone,' he hissed.

Thomas began smashing the medallion with a stone.

The gold crumbled slowly.

Morcant charged at them.

Lucy stepped between him and Thomas.

"No!" she screamed. "I won't allow it!"

The vampire stopped.

His face contorted with anger.

Then the medallion shattered.

Time seemed to freeze.

MorCant howled. His body began to crumble into ash.

His eyes went blank.

He fell to his knees.

> **“This… isn’t over…”**

And vanished, leaving only dust.

### *Epilogue*

Thomas and Lucy escaped the tomb before the roof collapsed.

They never returned to Highgate.

But two months later, Thomas received a letter.

No address. No sender.

Inside was a locket.

New.

Undamaged.

And with it a note:

> *“I said this isn’t over.”*

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