Thirst

In the mid-1990s, a quiet provincial town located near the city center was swept by alarming news: a serial killer had appeared. He went on his brutal hunt at night, when many townspeople were already asleep, and stray dogs roamed the courtyards, howling from the cold and hunger. His victims were young girls and women who found themselves alone on the streets late at night.

Some might think the appearance of yet another psychopathic killer was nothing surprising. An era of lawlessness, banditry, and cruelty dictated its own rules, and with the setting of the sun, the triumph of life ceased to shine as a guiding light for Russian citizens... But this maniac proved a mystery both to the frightened townspeople and to the detectives sent on his trail. There was one small detail that set him apart from the hundreds of serial killers who plagued cities across the former USSR.

All the murdered women had lacerations near the jugular artery. The general pattern of the wounds leading to death suggested that the killer had first strangled his victims and then inflicted the lacerations. This pattern earned him the unofficial nickname "Vampire" among law enforcement. Although police and prosecutors strove to keep certain details of the crimes under wraps to avoid panic, the intrusive press revealed the maniac's habits to everyone. The public, naturally superstitious and ready to buy any false story planted by the press, firmly believed that a true ghoul had appeared in the city. This also explained the criminal's elusiveness, as if he were not human, but a supernatural undead. 

When all attempts to catch the maniac had been exhausted and, to everyone's regret, had failed, law enforcement officials decided on a desperate measure. The police found a suitable volunteer—a young officer, a former athlete, possessed of composure and complete fearlessness in the face of the horrors that surrounded her. She was given a crucial task. She was to regularly walk the city's savage streets at night and serve as bait for the rampaging maniac. The officer fulfilled her duty with honor...

After several nights, during one of her regular patrols, the brave young woman—a police officer disguised as an insecure and timid young woman—encountered a suspicious middle-aged man. The man followed her for a long time, showing no signs of aggression. Only when the girl finally realized she was being closely followed and that nothing good could come of it did the stalker sense his potential victim's apprehension and quickly approach her.

A thin leather strap immediately began to tighten around the girl's slender neck. The employee realized she couldn't withstand the attacker's onslaught, but at the last moment, she reached for the alarm in her coat pocket and signaled the duty team. Fortunately, the patrol was not long in coming. The maniac was apprehended, and the crippled girl was sent to the hospital.

During the investigation, the maniac confessed to all the crimes. The killer was forced to reveal his terrible secret... He bit, sometimes cut, his victims' necks and drank their blood. This may seem strange to us all, but the defendant explained his bloodthirsty urges quite consistently. His mother worked as a manager at a blood transfusion center. Apparently, the woman was not quite right in the head, believing that human blood was the best vitamin for her child's development. She brought blood home from work, and then began feeding her son her own blood... When access to hospital blood ran out and his mother grew too old, the young "vampire" switched to the blood of stray animals. But one day, he again craved human blood... The killer admitted his guilt, but even in court, he did not recant his belief in the health benefits of consuming fresh human blood.

The maniac worked at the local housing office and was well-regarded. No one could have guessed his savage nature. When the killer was finally exposed and sent to a life sentence in the distant northern regions, the town breathed a sigh of relief.

Incidentally, the employee who helped apprehend the "ghoul" has recovered. According to some rumors, she left the police; according to others, she still works there. That's the story.