The world of the living was familiar, but it also made him feel like an outcast. It was not only because of his demonic nature.

Samuel turned a corner with a cigarette in hand, eyeing the people around him apprehensively. Although the streets were packed, he found a moment to snap his fingers and light the smoke without being noticed.

He took a deep breath and let the nicotine rush into his lungs, walking absentmindedly through the crowd. It was extremely easy to steal the smokes, much like the multiple wallets he snatched.

“I would kill for some cigars.”

Literally. It was a good thing that such saying was common nowadays. No one paid him much mind while he lurked towards some shady apartment blocks; the night was young.

His eyes seemed human, but they were still predatory. He glanced at every single person that walked near him, judging. Unlike the neighborhood where he had mugged some scrubs, this one was full of scum.

Drunkards stumbled through the alleys, and litter decorated the sideways. The murmurs of the addicts and not very reputable women echoed, reaching his inhuman ears. Not the finest of prey, he had to say.

He exhaled some smoke and crushed the half-burnt cigarette, slightly frustrated. Things had changed, far too much. In life, he had meddled with the finest of criminals, who knew how to step in style. Now he had to roam in a shithole like this.

“Can’t exactly go to a five-star hotel.”

No, he would not be able to check out the newest trends of the upper class. Although he could perhaps forge an ID, that would take time and extreme precautions. A humble devious den was his best bet.

He halted slowly, arriving at a small, secluded entryway. At the right, on a wall made of partially eroded bricks, there were multiple doorbell buttons. They were almost useless… With the door broken, anyone could access the building without ringing.

Samuel looked up at the block, scoffing at its lamentable condition. Just by looking at the windows he could tell that the apartments were very small. Housing for cheap, and without many background checks.

He punched all the buttons and kicked his way into the claustrophobic vestibule, noting how the elevator was as broken as the door. No one got out from the first-floor apartments to greet him, so he took the phone he had stolen out of his pocket.

After acquiring some money in the city, he began to look for a place where to hit the hay. A guy had posted an ad for a very cheap room in this unreputable neighborhood; the price was lower than the money he could snatch in a single week.

Two minutes passed, causing him to wonder if the guy really lived here; he was not turning up after ringing as advertised. Sure, he was not an expert on this new internet thing and what was called a smartphone, but he was pretty sure he had not messed up. His mind was as young as when he had died, curious and sharp.

The world was full of opportunities, and he always sought them all. He turned to leave, ready to get to another place he had found online, but then he heard a door open on the sixth floor. A human would have not noticed the sound perhaps, because the complex was noisy. A couple was shouting expletives on the third floor, and someone was playing very loud music in the fourth.

He waited, listening closely to the steps that echoed down the stairs. When that man finally reached the vestibule, he already had the money in his hand, not wanting too much chatter. Sadly, the idiot gave him a glance and tried to haggle.

“If you are here for the room, you’ll need to add fifty to that.” Samuel leaned his head very slowly, contemplating his next move while the fool tried to appear smug. “Forgot to update the add, you see? But never mind that. Would be kind of messy to get out now and look somewhere else, ‘cause it’s late an all, you know? Some people out there have a mean eye.”

Samuel clicked his tongue, seeing an opportunity. He did not let it pass; with one sigh, he slammed the money into the guy’s hands, ignoring completely his remarks about an extra fee.

“Someone can mess you up real good, yes! Better not make a fuss then… I’m sure no one wants pigs sniffing around here.”

At the thought of police, the man shut up and looked down at the money. He mouthed an expletive and glared into his mean green eyes, but he handed him a key in the end.

“One week, then it’s pay time or goodbye.”

Those words prompted a satisfied smirk, which was not as sharp as it could be.

“Just as I want it.”

Samuel snatched the key and moved his hands into his pockets, pretending not to hear the insult that the guy muttered before leaving into the street. With one last lean of head and glance at his new landlord, he turned for the stairs.

It was strange to walk up to a new home. Although the neighbors were less than pleasant, he found the surrounding humanity alluring and comforting. In hell, there were only cold ashen pits, filled to the brim with the reminders of death.

He took a deep breath while he ascended to the second floor. Somebody was cooking something that smelled nice; maybe it was a simple mac and cheese, but it was much more appealing than raw flesh.

Before he knew it, he reached the fifth floor. He was so entranced with the thought of food that he barely noticed the figure that was leaning on the door of an apartment. When he turned to keep walking up the stairs, she inched closer, making him flinch in surprise.

“Hey, handsome, what would you say to-?”

It was rare for him to be startled, and it did not help matters that he found her disgusting. The woman huffed when he pushed her off, to then eye her down with pure disdain.

“Fuck off, leech.”

He left her behind with a nervous snarl, not as smug as he had been. The woman gave him a questioning stare while he got to the sixth floor, shrugging off losing a possible client.

When he reached his door, he let out a frustrated growl. He did not loathe what she was, but her mannerisms and tone. In life, he had mingled quite often with wayward women… It was one of his biggest regrets.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was not the time to dwell on his past life. He had to find a new one and seize it.

The apartment was very small indeed. There were three rooms: a living room that doubled as a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom that looked more like a closet. He gave everything a blank stare before sighing.

“Well, at least I won’t wake up to Jasna trying to bite my horns off.”

He strode into the living room, noticing the dead plant and shattered window. Judging by the smells he could pick up, this was just a secondary place for that guy to arrange some business. Weed had been consumed not too long ago.

The fridge was empty, a fact that disappointed him greatly. He would solve it right then, quite easily, but there was something that concerned him more. A yawn escaped him. Devils still felt tiredness. It did not help that he had not slept since his emergence, and that it was an exhausting endeavor.

His green eyes gleamed and sharpened, spotting the small bed. It would not look comfortable to any other, but he saw the most alluring bedsheets and mattress in existence. With a thud, he let himself fall onto it.

His eyes closed, and his mind began to drift. The sensation of laying on a real bed was so comforting that he lost focus; his antlers began to emerge again, his tail twirled onto the ground, and his claws cut into the pillow.

Like a cat, he curled a little on himself. He postponed all thoughts of his hunt, allowing himself to bask in the warmth of life, just for a night.