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Snow Brooks had spent a year of her life chasing after a shadow.
She had lost so much time, too much of her sanity and enough of her resources, all in a bid to prove she wasn't losing her mind. Deep down though, Snow, a one time journalist and now possible stalker knew she was losing her mind. It wasn't so much a realization as it was a hard, cold truth. You didn't spend seven days a week looking through old news stories that made no sense and going back to the same place without tearing the tissue thin fabric of your sanity even just a little.
The man's name was Jesse Fforde, if he was a man. Snow's first encounter with him had shaken her very belief in what humanity was. He hadn't seen her that first time, when she was walking home and had inadvertently seen him...feeding. Yes, feeding, she thought in horror and revulsion. Feeding off another living being.
Snow had her roueing.
Snow had her routine down to a science. She knew the man, Jesse, a name too human to be otherwise, worked at a place called the Serpentine. He was a tattoo artist there and she caught glimpses of him at the bar too. He was a sullen looking man, his body showing signs of the art he created on others and with dark eyes that seemed to just watch, waiting like a snake's.
Tonight, Snow parked her arthritic old Volvo on the curb, not in front of Serpentine because that would have been a stupid thing to do. You didn't want the person you were tailing to know you were. She pulled out a fat binder that held most of her findings, the only thing she had left now and began to rifle through the pages, stroking sketches with a loving finger and reading through old writings.
She didn't see him yet, perhaps the man was already inside. Did she dare risk going in where she might accidentally bump into him? Then what? She wouldn't- couldn't run away like some horrified teenager. She was a journalist and answers were the only thing she needed.
She grabbed her recorder, a new thing she had gotten at the discount store a few blocks from her apartment and pressed play.
"Snow's log entry 1: I'm going into Serpentine today." She said and added, "To catch a monster."

"Log entry 2: The man, Jesse is on his way somewhere. I will follow him to see where he goes."
Snow felt quite foolish speaking into the recorder, explaining her motives to a machine. The Volvo sputtered to life as she turned the key in the ignition, following the man closely behind. She had made sure to switch off her headlights and even though the car was old and in need of a tune up- or a scrap yard, she added in her head, it still ran as smooth as oil, something that was quite surprising for the old pile of rust.
Usually, on long rides like these, Snow relied on music to soothe her frayed nerves and calm her down. On the radio tonight, a raspy voiced rocker promised doom and damnation. She couldn't help feeling as if the song were directed straight at her:
...Beware, beware girl riding far,
of the demons that hide behind a crooked disguise
Yeah they're coming for you,
to rip your heart right out
Pretty girl ,lonely girl, riding near and far,
don't you think you should be home
Were the shadows hide your tracks...
Snow turned it off, her hands shaking so badly she had to grip the steering wheel until her knuckles whitened from lack of blood flow. She wondered where exactly she was going, following this man as they passed rows of darkened streets and looming buildings.
What if this was a trap? She reasoned, her brain telling her to at least exercise caution alongside recklessness. What if he knows I'm following him? Snow hoped he didn't, for her own sake at least...

Snow wanted to heave a sigh of frustration.
All journalists were patient. They had to be, waiting hours outside buildings to get that glorified scoop that would send them all the way to the big leagues. She was no stranger to patience, like the proverb professed, it was a virtue.
But something was wrong here.
Snow had followed the vampire diligently through darkened neighborhoods, empty streets and all the way to the outskirts of Harper Rock and back again. It was almost as if he had intentionally led her on a wild goose chase and now she could see him nowhere. He had simply disappeared ahead of her and she wondered how safe or reasonable it was to continue in her line of action.
12:49am
It was past midnight, the witching hour as her mother used to say when she was younger. Snow drummed her fingers absently against the dashboard, deciding that discretion was the better part of valor. Maybe, the vampire had simply turned in some side street and gone home. Yes, that would be it. She snorted at any suggestions that he knew she was tailing him and had decided to give her the slip. That wasn't possible. She had taken every precaution and made sure he didn't know who she was.
No traces.
"I'll just go home," Snow assured herself. It was good to hear the sound of her voice too, the rational, reasoning sound of a human voice. She pushed down on the accelerator and swung her car in the direction of her home. The drive was barely twenty minutes and led into the more run down area of downtown Harper Rock. It wasn't a great place to live but it was sufficient enough for her needs.
Snow lived above a condemned Chinese takeout shop in a cramped apartment that had the permanent decaying smell of old cigarettes and soy sauce. Mr. Wong had been more than eager to sell it to her for a hundred dollars. Whether that was legal or not, she wasn't sure but what the hell, right?
Home, she thought as she let herself in. The shop was boarded up and she had to use the fire escape behind it to get in. It wasn't exactly paradise but she felt a twinge of pride each time she let herself in. This was her place, her refuge.
Bite that, Dani, she thought, her thoughts going back to her long estranged sister.
Inside, Snow shrugged off her coat and mulled over the events of the day. Today had been a bust but she was hopeful for tomorrow. Once she had solid proof of the vampire, the esteemed owner of Serpentine, Jesse, her sanity would be restored and maybe she could finally escape her self imposed isolation in this depressing dump.

Snow made a small choking sound in the back of her throat.
The glass she was holding fell from trembling hands, shattering on the old, wooden boards. He was here! There were not enough words to express the fear that was bubbling through her, a strange bitter thing that felt like bile in her throat. She didn't know what to do, there was no viable way to escape and she cursed herself silently for not having a better choice in housing.
"Following you?" she answered dumbly. What exactly did you do in situations like this? Call 911? And tell them what? a small, bitter voice inside her teased.
"I wasn't following you," Snow replied slowly, cautiously. The nearest thing in hand was the steak knife that sat on the kitchen countertop but she doubted that would be much help. Instead, she looked around at all her work, all the pictures she had taken of this...man, if he was one, the little thumbtacks that held everything together.
Her work...

Snow was staring death right in the face.
Death was an intimidating stranger who could very well hurt her and the only thing going through her head was how to escape.
"You want to know why I was following you? I've been following you for close to a year now because people need to know what you are. A monster," she spat. Angering him was not the best plan of action but Snow was desperate. How many times had she gotten herself into trouble and had no way of getting out? Somewhere deep inside her, didn't she realize this was how things would end?
Without thinking, her mind and body two separate entities, she made a mad dash for the kitchen, snatching up a broom handle that lay in the corner and setting the edge on fire under the stove.
I'm having beans for dinner, she thought dully, if I make it out of this in one piece, I'm having beans.
"Stay away from me, whatever you are or I swear I'll hurt you," Snow choked out, hoping it sounded like a threat.