Across the vast chest of the sky, the moon was nowhere to be seen — swallowed whole behind thick night clouds. Yet the stars were still scattered above, flickering faintly like distant lights too far away to hold any meaning for the world below.

  On the ground, the darkness felt different. Dense. Heavy.

  The forest was drowned in its own shadows, without a single source of light capable of piercing the blackness. The only sound was the river — rushing hard and relentless, its roar breaking the silence of the night in an endless surge that never seemed to stop.

  In the middle of that river, a human body drifted faintly into view.

  Completely still.

  The current carried it without mercy, slowly turning it whenever the water shifted direction. No breath was visible. The arms hung limp, sinking and resurfacing in the cold, churning water.

  Further ahead, the sound of the river began to change.

  It grew fiercer. Deeper. More terrifying.

  Up ahead, the river plunged down from a steep cliff.

  Without any strength to resist, the body was dragged along with the current.

  And in a single moment—

  it vanished from the surface.

  Falling into the darkness below.

  ___________

  A black SUV sped through the empty highway, slicing across the night. Its headlights cut through the darkness while the engine hummed low and steady, despite having been running for hours without rest.

  There were five people inside.

  Victoria was wedged between two men in the back seat. Her body sagged in the middle, head drooping forward. If the men on either side hadn’t been holding her up, she would have collapsed to the floor every time the vehicle hit a pothole.

  Her face was pale — bloodless. Her lips dry.

  She looked more like a corpse than a living person.

  Her strength was completely gone. And the wounds on her body weren’t healing the way they normally should.

  “I think this girl’s already dead,” one of the men in the back muttered while checking her condition.

  The man seated on Victoria’s left glanced over briefly before leaning back again.

  “She is dead. All vampires are dead creatures anyway,” he replied casually.

  “If she’s really dead… they’ll still pay us, right?”

  “Don’t worry about that.”

  The voice from the front cut in. The cowboy-hatted driver didn’t turn around, his eyes fixed on the road.

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  “She’s still alive. Haven’t you ever seen how a vampire dies?”

  “Yeah… I have.”

  “Then you should know the difference.”

  The car fell silent again. The only sound was the tires grinding against the asphalt.

  A few seconds later, the man in the back spoke again, this time with curiosity in his tone.

  “But… how is she alive during the day? And she’s got a kid too. You sure she’s really a vampire?”

  The driver let out a short breath.

  “She’s Victor’s daughter. His own flesh and blood,” he said. “The old man turned her himself when she was still a baby. That’s probably why she’s different from the others.”

  He paused briefly, then added lazily,

  “Besides… that’s none of our business.”

  Another man in the back spoke up.

  “What about Edward? Why wasn’t he there earlier?”

  “That’s not our concern either. We were paid to bring this woman in alive. That’s it.”

  The conversation died again, leaving only the engine and the whisper of night wind outside.

  A few minutes passed before someone spoke again, this time with a hint of relief.

  “Isn’t it better he wasn’t there? I honestly don’t think we’d win if that white wolf showed up.”

  No one answered.

  The SUV continued racing through the darkness.

  The silence felt heavy… as if everyone was thinking the same thing but refusing to admit it.

  Finally, the cowboy-hatted man spoke.

  “Her brothers are worse. If I can help it… I don’t ever want to deal with them.”

  One of the men in the back gave a dry laugh.

  “You know Marcus is in America right now.”

  “Yeah. That’s why I want this job finished fast,” the driver replied. His grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel. “Once this is done… we leave this country as soon as possible.”

  “Hey, Jones…”

  The cowboy-hatted man nudged his hat up slightly and glanced into the rearview mirror. From there, he could see Victoria’s motionless body lying across the back seat.

  “You think the girl’s still alive… or already dead?” the man behind asked, half curious, half uneasy.

  Jones kept his focus on the road. His hands rested casually on the wheel, but his jaw was tight. He took a slow breath before answering.

  “I’m sure she’s still alive.”

  “Hm.” The man leaned back. “The question is… will they believe us if we say she’s dead?”

  Jones gave a small shrug. “They don’t care. Victor only wants his daughter. Not his granddaughter.”

  A few seconds passed without anyone speaking. The heavy hum of the SUV filled the space, mixed with the faint vibration from the uneven road.

  “That girl’s really unlucky,” the man beside Jones added. “Maximus wants her dead too. That’s why he sent Marcus.”

  “That’s their business. Nothing to do with us,” Jones replied shortly, his tone firm enough to end the topic.

  Not long after, Jones turned the steering wheel left. The headlights swept across darkness before a brightly lit clearing appeared in the distance.

  The SUV turned again, this time onto a rough dirt road. The tires slammed against loose stones, the entire vehicle shaking violently until the dashboard creaked. Victoria’s body jolted slightly in the back every time they hit a hole.

  A few minutes later, they finally arrived.

  “Get her out.”

  Jones ordered before opening the door and stepping down. The engine and headlights remained on, beams pointing toward the dirt runway ahead.

  The roar of a jet engine nearby was deafening. Hot air from the turbines blasted across the area.

  Five men in black suits were already standing there, as if they had been waiting for Jones and his team for quite some time.

  Jones walked toward them casually. Two of his men followed behind while the other two carried Victoria, still unconscious.

  One of the suited men stepped forward.

  “You’re late.”

  Jones sighed softly, removing his cowboy hat and scratching his hair for a moment.

  “It wasn’t easy catching her.”

  The man didn’t respond. His eyes fell on Victoria, slumped over Jones’s companion’s shoulder.

  “Where’s the kid?”

  Jones looked back at him.

  “What kid?”

  “The girl.”

  “Oh… that one.” Jones shrugged lightly. “Dead.”

  Silence lingered for a moment, filled only by the roar of the jet engine.

  “We were hired to kill her anyway,” Jones continued, his tone indifferent. “Besides… she’s the same species as you. Bodies like hers disintegrate when they die. So… you don’t really need proof from me.”

  The suited man still showed no reaction. He simply turned his head slightly backward.

  Another man approached, carrying a black bag.

  He handed it to Jones.

  “As promised,” the man said.

  Jones took the bag without opening it to check the contents. He only held it, feeling the weight, before a thin smile appeared on his lips.

  “Our job’s done. And pass a message to Victor…”

  “Don’t come looking for us again.”