Ethnographer
Dr. Carter was an ethnographer who had spent half her life studying the cultures and rituals of various indigenous tribes around the world. She was fascinated by the diversity and complexity of human societies. Her published work explored how these indigenous tribes adapted to their environments and challenges that came with it.
In one of the conferences, talking to her colleagues, she heard about a very secluded tribe in the rain forest, who have never been contacted by outsiders. There were old stories about their unique bond with the animals of the forest. She became determined to find them and document about their way of life, before they were lost to the modern world.
She hired a local guide, Xantani, who claimed to know the location of the tribe. He warned her that they were very secretive and wary, and her presence will bot be welcomed. He told her about them having strange religion, and they performed rituals that involved blood and fire. She dismissed his warnings as superstitions and insisted on going ahead with the expedition.
For days they walked through the dense jungle, following a very faint trail that Xantani said was made by the tribe. Every time they made a pit stop, Dr. Carter checked around the camp, she noticed some odd signs: animal tracks that seemed to be following them. She took photographs of trees marked with symbols that looked like eyes, and she felt those symbols were more than marking and a feeling of being watched by unseen forces.
She noticed Xantani became more nervous and anxious as they approached their destination. He asked her to turn back, saying they would be entering a sacred land. Dr. Carter ignored him and pressed on. After a while, they reached a clearing - she could see a very large wooden hut surrounded by a fence of woven branches.
Dr. Carter tried to offer Xantani extra money, but he wouldn’t budge - he offered to wait for her at the edge of the clearing, while she went to interact with the villagers. Dr. Carter agreed and took her notebook and camera as she walked towards the hut, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive tribe.
As she reached the fence, she found a small opening that could have been a gate. She pushed it open and entered the village. She made her way to the hut and peered inside - she was greeted by a sight that left her awestruck.
The Hut was decorated with colorful feathers, beads, shells, and bones, all creating a vibrant contrast with the greenery of the forest perking in through sections of the wall. The floor was covered with a patchwork of mats made of animal fur, and there were baskets filled with fruits and nuts. In the middle of the Hut, there was a large pit with burning coal and a group of people sitting around it in a circle. They wore animal skins and masks, and held wooden instruments. They were singing, while another group was dancing in a rhythm that seemed to mimic the rhythm of smoke emanating from the coal pit.
Dr. Carter smiled in excitement, as she approached them with her camera. She’d found the lost tribe that she’d been looking for. She wanted to capture the moment of discovering them, before introducing herself to them.
She raised the camera and clicked the picture, and the Hut was lit up brightly even if for a second as she heard hissing sound coming in unison. As the dancers stopped and looked at her, she noticed behind them was a stone altar and a human body lying mutilated on it.
Others stopped their singing and turned to face her. They removed their masks, revealing their true faces: pale skin, red eyes, sharp fangs, and twisted smiles. They were not human; they were vampires.
Dr Carter screamed in terror, as they lunged at her. She tried to run back to the gate, but it was closed and locked. She was surrounded by the bloodthirsty creatures, who slashed at her with their sharp nails, cutting her flesh and drawing her blood. She felt their fangs sink into her neck, her arms, her legs, draining her life force. She saw their faces change from white to red, as they fed on her blood.
She heard Xantani’s voice outside the fence, calling her name. He had heard her scream, and he tried to break through the fence, but it was too strong. He shouted at the tribal to leave her alone, but they ignored him. They were too busy enjoying their feast. Her vision faded to black, as she lost consciousness. She felt a final surge of pain in her chest, as one of them plunged their hand to get to her heart. She died in agony.
The vampires finished their meal and threw her corpse on the altar. They thanked their dark god for his gift and resumed their singing and dancing.
Xantani heard her screams of horror stop from outside the fence, after a while he could hear the tribal singing. He realized then, that he had made a terrible mistake. He had led her not to a secluded tribe of humans, but he had doomed them both. As soon as he started running away from the fence, he heard a grunt behind him. He looked back and it was a wild boar, but it didn’t look like any he’d come across ever. It had red eyes, and he thought he saw fangs. He stumbled and fell, and the boar pounced on him and tore his neck. It was one of them, one of their animal converts. The blood in the forest flowed freely, as the vampires celebrated their victory and awaited their next victim.