The blast had barely echoed when the lights went out, casting the entire base into a terrifying darkness. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of heavy breathing, the pounding of hearts that could hear the thundering footsteps of danger approaching. The team exchanged tense glances, their instincts screaming at them to move.
"What the hell was that?" Andrei hissed, his eyes darting around in the blackness, his hands twitching, ready to manipulate anything in his immediate vicinity.
Victor's fingers sparked with lightning as he pushed himself off the chair, eyes narrowed. His mind raced, trying to process what had just happened. "We're under attack. Stay alert!"
Jay's hand immediately went to his necklace, the metal cool against his skin, a reminder of the power he had yet to fully understand. The hum inside him was louder now, like a constant pressure against his chest, urging him to do something. But what? He was still trying to grasp what the hell had just occurred during their last mission.
A soft shuffle broke the silence—footsteps approaching quickly, so fast that they could barely catch the sound until it was too late. Then came the screech of the doors being blasted open, and they heard it—voices, sharp and commanding, echoing through the now chaotic air.
"Ready yourselves!" Leno's voice rang out, calm amidst the impending storm. But even his tone couldn't hide the underlying urgency. "Get to positions—defend yourselves!"
Without warning, figures cloaked in shadows emerged, moving like shadows, their intentions as dark as their forms. There were too many of them—more than the team had anticipated.
Then the lights flickered back on, revealing the attackers: an elite squad of well-armed soldiers, each wearing black tactical gear and helmets that hid their faces. Their movements were coordinated, fluid. Vampires. They were everywhere.
Victor's eyes locked onto the nearest threat, his fists crackling with electricity. The air around him seemed to thicken as he drew in a deep breath, his palm shooting a bolt of lightning that illuminated the room with a blinding flash. The first vampire's body convulsed with the surge of power, but he didn't fall. Instead, the vampire grinned—a cold, chilling smile.
"That's just a spark, boy," the vampire sneered. "We've dealt with worse."
Jay gritted his teeth, his eyes glowing faintly as the energy around him surged. "Stay back! I—"
He was cut off by a deafening roar that shook the room. From the corner of his vision, he saw Leno charging toward the center of the room, his hands outstretched, ready to strike with his signature speed and precision. But just as quickly, a barrage of gunfire ripped through the air, forcing him to retreat behind the nearby crates, narrowly avoiding the hail of bullets.
"We need to fight back!" Andrei shouted, his voice tinged with frustration.
But it wasn't just about fighting back anymore. The enemy wasn't here to negotiate; they were here for something else.
"Get out!" Leno barked, his eyes scanning the room, but there was something off in his voice. It wasn't fear, but a sharpness that indicated his thoughts were elsewhere. His hands clenched into fists as if searching for a weapon, anything to give them an edge. The air around him began to crackle, as though charged with the anticipation of his next move.
Andrei's eyes narrowed. His hands twitched, fingers flexing instinctively, but something deep inside him told him that brute force wouldn't win this fight. He needed precision.
"Split up!" Leno commanded again. "Don't give them a chance to corner us."
But it was too late.
Within seconds, the team was engaged in a fierce battle, each one holding their ground against the vampire soldiers, fighting with everything they had. But despite their best efforts, the vampires' strength and numbers were overwhelming. They weren't just ordinary vampires. These were enhanced, trained in combat, and each one seemed to know exactly how to counter their abilities.
Victor shot a powerful bolt of lightning toward one of them, only for the vampire to dodge and counter with a whip of dark energy that sent him crashing into the wall. He growled, pulling himself from the rubble, only to be met by another vampire, this one wielding a blade laced with black magic.
He barely had time to react before the vampire was upon him, their clash sparking a violent eruption of energy that rattled the walls of the compound.
Jay was not far behind, his hands holding a gun, his body shifting instinctively, ready to strike at any moment. But something was off. His control felt tenuous, like a thin thread holding the power back. With each breath, he could feel the magic inside him swell, threatening to overtake him.
But the real shock came when he saw her.
Alina.
She was standing in the midst of the chaos, her body moving fluidly, more like a predator than a fighter. She wasn't just standing there. She was commanding the fight, her every motion calculated, deadly, and precise. Her eyes glowed with a dangerous intensity as she took down vampire after vampire without breaking a sweat, her weapons—blades made of some unknown material—slashing through the air, cutting down her enemies with terrifying speed.
Victor, for the first time, watched her in awe. The woman who had always been a mysterious presence in their team, who had rarely ever shown her full strength, was now at the heart of their battle. The elegance and lethality of her movements were like something out of a nightmare. She didn't just fight the vampires. She hunted them, one after another.
"Alina," Jay managed to call out, his voice tight with effort. "Get to cover! They're—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a group of vampires lunged at her, one of them grabbing her from behind, holding her arms back with a strength that made Jay wince. But she wasn't done yet. In an instant, her body shifted, and her knees collided with the vampire's chest, forcing him to release her. Then, in a blink, she had already dispatched two others, her movements a blur of deadly grace.
Her eyes locked onto Jay for a split second, a warning in them, but before she could react to the situation at hand, a figure appeared from the shadows—a vampire who had been waiting for the right moment.
A metallic spear, sharp and cruel, pierced through the air, catching Alina by surprise. The spear struck her side, sending a surge of blood staining the floor. The wound wasn't fatal, but it was enough to stop her in her tracks.
"Alina!" Jay shouted, but she only gave him a faint, knowing smile before she twisted the spear from her body, her movements still calm and controlled. "I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth, though it was clear that the attack had taken a toll on her. Her eyes were no longer filled with the confidence that had defined her earlier movements.
The battle raged on, each member of the team doing their best to hold their ground. But it was clear that their enemies had one goal in mind: to capture Leno. The vampires weren't just attacking for the sake of a fight. They were after something specific. And Leno, who had been a leader of the team from the beginning, had become their target.
"Leno!" Victor shouted, his voice laced with urgency. "Get out of there!"
But the vampires moved with precision. Before Leno could react, one of them managed to strike him from behind, his body freezing for a moment, paralyzed by a sharp, icy magic that crawled into his veins. The vampire moved in quickly, its teeth bared, ready to finish him off.
"No!" Andrei bellowed, rushing toward Leno, but he was intercepted by another vampire who dragged him into a fight. Andrei struggled but couldn't break free in time.
Leno tried to shake off the paralysis, his muscles tensing as he fought to regain control of his body. But it was too late. A heavy chain wrapped around his legs, and before anyone could react, the vampires were lifting him off the ground, dragging him toward the open door. He was caught.
"Leno!" Victor screamed again, his voice breaking as he pushed through the chaos, lightning flashing around his hands.
But it was no use.
Leno was gone.
The vampires vanished into the shadows, taking him with them. And just like that, the room fell into silence, the only sound the heavy breathing of the team, their hearts hammering in their chests.
Alina, her hand still clutching her side, turned to Victor, her expression cold and unyielding. "We've lost him. We need to regroup. Now."
Victor's face contorted with rage, his fists tightening at his sides. "They won't get away with this."
But as the last of the vampires disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind only their destruction, the silence in the room spoke volumes.
The clock was ticking, and Leno's abduction was only the beginning.