“What's your name?”

  “Hanna.”

  “I’m Sheriff Johnson. You know the sheriff in Silverpine, right?”

  “Yes… I know him. Mr. Ronald.”

  Sheriff Johnson chuckled softly. He had asked that question on purpose, just to make sure the girl truly came from Silverpine.

  “How old are you, Hanna?”

  “Sixteen.”

  “Same age as my son. What does your father do for a living?”

  Hanna fell silent for a moment. Her voice lowered when she answered.

  “I live with my mother.”

  Sheriff Johnson glanced at her, then nodded slowly.

  “I can take you straight back to Silverpine.”

  Hanna quickly shook her head.

  “No need. I can take the bus home.”

  “All right. I won’t force you.”

  _________

  “Damn it,” muttered Marco angrily.

  Marcus looked left and right as soon as they reached the side of the highway.

  “If you’d let me go with them earlier, none of this would’ve happened,” Marco said, holding back his anger.

  “You forget, Rico and Savage are far more experienced than you. If I’d sent you with them, I’m sure you’d be dead,” Marcus replied without turning.

  Marco clenched his jaw. “So what now?”

  Marcus didn’t answer right away. Ever since they started tracking Hanna, his mind had been tangled with other thoughts.

  “Marcus?” Marco called again when his cousin stayed silent.

  Marcus finally spoke firmly. “Do you remember what Maximus said before we came here?”

  “He told us to kill the girl.”

  “Not that part.”

  Marco frowned. “That’s all I heard… but why couldn’t Rico and Savage change?”

  “Because of the girl’s bite,” Marcus answered, letting out a long breath. His brow furrowed. “There’s another reason Maximus wants her dead.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “I don’t care about any of that. I just want her dead,” Marco snapped.

  “Don’t underestimate her, Marco. Unless you want to end up like Rico and Savage.”

  Marco scoffed angrily. “So what now? We’ve lost her trail.”

  Marcus took a few steps forward, staring down the empty road.

  “Victoria wouldn’t leave her child alone if something happened to her. There’s only one place that can protect her.”

  “Mahattan?” Marco asked.

  Marcus nodded. “We have to get there before the girl does. Call Mihai. Tell him to pick us up now.”

  ___________

  Sheriff Johnson stopped his patrol car in front of a rundown gas station on the outskirts of Riverbend Creek. The smell of gasoline and road dust rushed in as Hanna opened the door.

  “You sure you know which bus goes to Silverpine?” Sheriff Johnson asked.

  Hanna gave a small nod. A quiet lie, but she didn’t want the man asking more questions.

  “Then take care of yourself,” the sheriff said briefly.

  “Thank you for the ride, Sheriff,” Hanna replied.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Hanna stepped out, shutting the car door with a heavy metallic thud. She stood stiffly by the roadside, watching the red lights of the patrol car grow smaller until they disappeared around a bend. As soon as silence returned, Hanna hurried toward the station’s convenience store.

  The bell above the door rang sharply as she entered. Behind the counter, a middle-aged man lounged lazily, his eyes fixed on a sports show playing on his phone.

  “Hello,” Hanna said, breaking the stillness of the coffee-scented shop.

  The man looked up, slightly annoyed. “Yeah? Need something?”

  “How do I get to Manhattan?”

  His brows knitted. “Manhattan?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ll need to take a bus from here to Charleston first. From there, you can buy a ticket straight to the main terminal,” he explained, standing up and peering through the dusty window. “Bus should be here in about five minutes. You’ll need a ticket.”

  “How much is it?”

  “Twenty dollars.”

  Hanna slipped her hand into her jeans pocket and pulled out a crisp hundred-dollar bill. She placed it on the scratched wooden counter.

  The shopkeeper stared at it. “That’s a big bill,” he said dryly. He held it up to the light, checking the security strip before deciding it was real.

  Satisfied, he pressed the register with a loud ding and handed her the change along with a small ticket.

  “Just wait outside,” he said without looking at her again.

  Hanna walked out with heavy legs. Though her stomach ached with hunger and her throat burned with thirst, the fear clinging to her every step was stronger, killing her appetite completely.

  She slipped behind a gas pump and stood there, eyes darting through the metal frames, watching for any suspicious vehicle that might be following her, silently praying the bus would arrive soon.

  Luck seemed to favor her. Not long after, a gray minibus rolled in and stopped at the station. As soon as the door creaked open, Hanna rushed inside without looking back.

  “Where to?” asked the driver, a Black woman with a calm voice.

  “Charleston,” Hanna replied shortly.

  “Ticket.”

  Hanna handed over the paper in her hand.

  “Sit wherever you like,” the woman said.

  “Thank you,” Hanna replied, moving to the very back row. She was the only passenger in the quiet belly of the bus.

  A few minutes passed, the engine roared, and the bus pulled back onto the road. Only then did Hanna release a long breath of relief.

  The bus glided steadily along the highway. Occasionally it stopped at lonely stops even when no one got on or off. Soon the vehicle turned onto the main road toward Silverpine.

  When the bus passed the junction leading to her house, Hanna straightened. Her eyes fixed on the window, but her vision blurred as tears flooded her cheeks. A sob nearly escaped, but she quickly covered her face, trying to hold back the pain surging inside. Behind her fingers, memories of her mother attacked mercilessly, tearing through her thoughts.

  She had never imagined her life would change in an instant. Now all that remained were fragments of pain, grief, and loneliness crushing her chest. Amid the chaos of her emotions, her soul still searched for answers: Who were her real parents? Why did her own grandfather thirst for her life? What sin had she committed to deserve this?

  Every question hung unanswered, without a single period to end it. The weight of that secret was too heavy to bear alone, leaving Hanna drowning in a sea of endless sorrow.