Page 5 of Map of Pain
You’re a puzzle, Nick Walsh.
He started moving, abandoning all pretense of appearing human. Vampire speed while carrying someone required careful balance, but urgency mattered more than grace. Nick’s weight felt right somehow. Luka could trace individual ribs, feel the sharp angles of hip bones where flesh should have cushioned them.
How long had he been living like this? Alone, infected, slowly dying while continuing his one-man crusade against vampires?
Nick’s head shifted, streetlight catching the angry scar. The mark reminded Luka of Matteo, of all the ways trauma could break a person. His brother had withdrawn into silence; this hunter had channeled his pain into violence.
Different responses. Same fundamental wound.
Luka moved through shadows with practiced ease, listening for potential threats and mentally mapping their locations. Police patrol four blocks east. Teenagers by the conveniencestore. Two familiar vampire scents hunting north of the river—family members, not threats.
Nick’s fever spiked higher. His skin burned against Luka’s skin, his heartbeat stuttering dangerously. Sweat soaked through his clothes despite the cool air. Each breath came harder than the last.
Stay with me, hunter. The game isn’t over yet.
Nick’s only response to the silent command was a low moan.
The hospital loomed ahead, windows glowing like beacons. The forgotten ward occupied the eastern wing—an abandoned section awaiting renovation, accessible through service corridors near the pediatric ICU where Jae-sung worked. It was perfect for unofficial patients who couldn’t exist in the system.
Antibiotics. IV fluids. Surgical supplies to clean the amputation site. Luka cataloged what they’d need, his medical knowledge limited, but combined with Jae’s expertise, it might enough to save this stubborn human’s life.
Why does this matter so much?
He paused at the hospital’s edge, seeking the service entrance. Nick’s head lolled against his shoulder, unconscious but restless. His hand still clutched Luka’s shirt, knuckles white with tension even in his weakened state.
Almost there.The thought provided comfort even when directed at someone unconscious.
A figure appeared at the service door—Jae-sung in blue scrubs, expression shifting from concern to shock as recognition hit.
“That’s Nick Walsh,”Jae hissed, holding the door open.“Marcus’s boyfriend’s brother. I’ve been running hospital searches for him for six months. Are you insane?”
«Probably,»Luka admitted, signing with one hand as he carried Nick through the doorway.«He needs help.»
“He needs a real hospital and a phone call to Marcus,”Jae countered, but led them down darkened corridors toward the pediatric wing.“If the family finds out you’ve been hiding him—”
«They won’t.»Luka replied.«Not from me. Not from you. Not until he’s stable.»
Jae-sung’s disapproval radiated like heat, but he continued guiding them through abandoned hallways.“Room at the end. I prepped what I could without raising suspicions. You owe me.”
Big time.
The forgotten ward smelled of dust and disinfectant. Plastic sheeting covered obsolete equipment, construction materials lined walls, renovation eternally postponed. In the center of chaos, one room glowed with soft light—Jae’s makeshift medical bay.
Luka laid Nick gently on the hospital bed. The hunter’s face contorted as Jae attached monitoring equipment with practiced efficiency. Numbers and lines appeared on screens, confirming what Luka already knew.
Nick was dying.
“Sepsis, mostly likely,”Jae-sung confirmed, inserting an IV line into the top of Nick’s hand.“Infection’s in his bloodstream. We need to clean that amputation site, start broad-spectrum antibiotics, and hope he’s strong enough to fight.”
Nick’s eyes flew open suddenly, wild and unfocused. His remaining hand lashed out, catching Jae’s wrist in a surprisingly strong grip for someone half-dead.
His gaze landed on Luka. Recognition flickered through fever haze, something like betrayal crossing his features before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed against pillows.
“Why are you doing this?”Jae asked quietly, completely unfazed as he moved on to hang an IV bag of fluids.“He’ll try to kill you when he wakes up.”
When. Not if. Luka appreciated the optimism.
«I don’t know,»he admitted, watching Nick’s chest rise and fall.«He’s been following me for weeks. Almost like a game.»
