Vampire

Vampire is an undead predator that frequents the edges of human settlements and the dim reaches of old forests and cellars. In field notes one records an absence more than a form: the air tightens and cools as if a room has been opened to night itself. Smell: a faint metallic tang—like old coin or torn copper—sometimes threaded with the sick-sweet of stale wine or damp linens. Sound: whispers of silk, a soft rasp of breath, the occasional flutter as if wings were folded against a wet stone; at close range the teeth make a minute clicking, patient and deliberate. Temperature: an unnatural chill that centers on a person or doorway, like the cool undercroft of a chapel; flesh near it goes numb to the touch. Observe with care—vampires are methodical, preferring the slow work of predation to wild frenzy.