Heroes of Veridia: Evelyn's Journey

3rd P.O.V...

Selene Nightshade, the vampire with Evelyn on her shoulder, sprinted toward the city with heroes on her tail. A man stood beside a vehicle in a dark alley. A smile appeared on his face, however, it soon vanished when he noticed her coming alone.

"Where's Victor?" He asked.

"He's not coming," she informed him. Upon reaching him, Selene placed Evelyn in the back seat and told the guy to take her back to their base.

Studying Evelyn, he said, "This isn't Lucas."

Selene huffed and turned to him. "Stop talking and do your fucking job," she hissed. The man raised his arms in defense and backed away. He then got into the driver's seat and drove away before the searchlight from the helicopter landed on Selene.

Selene looked up, the bright light caused no harm to her eyes. The heroes surrounded her. "Where is she?" one of them questioned.

Selene shrugged and told them she did not know what they were discussing. She inspected the surroundings as she talked to them.

"You won't be able to escape," The man before her said with a bold tone. The searchlight illuminated the man's dazzling body. A gun emerged from his arm which he aimed at Selene. "Just tell me where she is and your punishment will be reduced. There are heroes surrounding you. No matter where you pass, you will get stopped." He said.

"I wonder where you were when the grenade went off on the train. If anything happens to me, the girl dies. Let me go and you might get to see her alive someday. What do you say?" Selene smiled. More heroes appeared on the roof of the two buildings. They glared daggers at Selene. "All this for one person?" She thought.

The gun in the man's arm returned to its compartment. "Why should we trust a criminal like you?"

"Don't. I'm not a good person. You don't have to trust me. But... if you want to see the girl alive, then I suggest you let me go," She replied. She pulled a coin out and tossed it into the air. The heroes became cautious of her action, causing them to tense up. She chuckled and said, "Why are you so scared of me?" Selene caught the coin and tossed it at the man before her, telling him to hold on to it for her.

He caught the coin, asking her what it was for. Inspecting her surroundings, she shrugged. "Since you are all metal, you might be able to withstand it. And I will be seeing you later," She informed him. Before he could say another word, the coin in his hand exploded, catching all the heroes and the helicopter in it. "I had no idea it was this huge," She said as she dashed away.

Selene's P.O.V...

I hope they don't come after me. That student's shots have cost me too much energy. I still haven't figured out what her gift is. I ran as fast as I could. I had to get out of the city as soon as I could else the scent of blood was going to make me go crazy.

Still running, someone shot me in the shoulder, making me stumble. I quickly gained my posture and jumped up to my feet before making the mistake of turning to look at my shooter.

The number of heroes coming after me had increased in numbers and what was shocking was that most of them had modified body parts. "Did someone send them here?" I muttered.

The man I had given the coin to was now leading the heroes straight toward me. These people were bound to cause trouble. I had already expended too much energy and couldn't afford to waste any more time on them. Dodging their shots, I quickly darted into another alley.

Believing I had finally escaped, the helicopter's searchlight locked onto me once more. And here I thought this was going to be an easy mission. I came face to face with another one of those heroes.

"You can't escape. Taking the daughter of the Grayson Mercenary Group is a bad idea. Only a suicidal maniac would try to go against the Grayson family," He said, whispering the part where he mentioned Evelyn being a part of the Grayson family.

My heart rate quickened as I absorbed his words. Sweat formed on my forehead. "Does that mean all those coming after me are members of the Private Military Company? I thought you guys were not supposed to show yourself in public," I said.

The metallic sound of footsteps behind me caught my attention. Another one had appeared behind me. "We are just the underdogs who also work for Heroic Heights. You would be dead if the elites were after you," he explained calmly, his voice betraying no hint of anger.

I calmed down a bit after hearing his statement. "You know you actually scared me. I thought you were those scary little maniacs, not knowing you are just scraps of metals playing hero," I laughed as I looked around. I was surrounded again. "Will you leave me alone if I offer you the girl's location?" I asked. I don't expect them to let me go unscathed after the stunt I pulled earlier.

"We will let you go, but I don't know what Mr. Grayson will do to you. Mind you, Mr. Grayson knows how to deal with vampires," he yelled. He then aimed a gun at me and threatened to shoot me if I tried anything.

"Sir, the lady has been located," A girl who also had metal parts walked up to the man. When he asked her where she was, she pointed to a vehicle approaching from behind.

"What's he doing here? I thought I told him to leave," I whispered. Despite my hushed tone, it seemed everyone heard me. The commander shot me a sharp look before heading toward the car.

"Stop, or we will shoot!" he warned the driver, aiming his gun at the car. Panic surged through me—everything would be ruined if the driver got caught. I need to find a way out of here.

"The lady is in the car. She might get caught in the line of fire," the girl explained. Though I couldn't see his face, I knew he frowned at her words. The driver ignored them and kept driving.

"I said sto—" he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a red-haired man standing beside him.

"What did I hear you say?" the red-haired man growled, leaning down to meet the commander's eyes with a menacing glare.

"I-I was just t-telling him to stop," he stammered, his voice trembling. The red-haired man tapped his shoulder, his grip firm, and ordered them to stand down. I wonder who he is, I thought, my heart racing with fear.

Looking at the faces of the modified heroes, I saw fear etched into their expressions. He must be one of those private militants, I realized, a shiver running down my spine.

He shoved the commander aside, ordering him to back down. Then, turning to face the approaching vehicle, he extended his arm. "Burn," he commanded. Flames erupted from his hands, shooting towards the car like a flamethrower. Despite the inferno, the driver kept going, the car seemingly protected against the flames.

"Evelyn is in there," the girl tried to explain to the red-haired man. 

He barked back, "I care about Evelyn more than her own parents!" As the vehicle reached him, he stepped aside. I readied myself to jump into the car when it got close enough. 

"Get in," I heard him say as he approached. I didn't need to be told twice. He opened the passenger door, and I swiftly slid into the seat. As I settled back, I let out a breath of relief, finally able to relax.

"What's going on? Why are all these people after you?" the driver asked, glancing nervously into the rearview mirror. The modified heroes were still pursuing us, their relentless approach sending a chill down my spine. The driver's hands began to fidget on the wheel, his fear palpable. I had to think fast, desperate to find a way to shake them off our tail.

Having no other way to get them off our tail, I made the desperate decision to give up the girl. I told the driver to focus on getting us out of here while I scrambled to the back. With a heavy heart and trembling hands, I pushed the girl out, praying she wouldn't sustain any major injuries. The streets were eerily quiet as if a curfew had emptied them.

Looking behind me, I saw the red-haired guy holding the girl in his arms, his gaze fixed on her face as if he wanted to devour her. A surge of jealousy and disgust welled up inside me as I watched them. My plan seemed to have worked; most of the heroes had stopped with the red-haired man. The few who were still following us opened fire. I ducked and pulled out a coin. Tossing it into the air, the coin disintegrated, transporting us back to our base. However, due to the driver's speed, we crashed into a tree upon arrival.

A smile crept across my face, and I began to laugh. This was the first time I'd ever been in such a position—almost getting caught by heroes. I exited the vehicle and sat down to rest beside a tree, my back against the rough bark. The only light illuminating the forest was the silvery glow of the moon and the distant, faint lights from our hideout. The cool night air was filled with the rustling of leaves and the distant hoots of owls.

The driver cursed under his breath as he slowly exited the car. His earlier fear seemed to have dissipated as he walked over to me. The sound of his footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves was oddly comforting in the quiet night. He joined me by the tree, both of us taking a moment to catch our breath amidst the tranquil yet tense forest surroundings.

"This was supposed to be a quiet mission. Everything would've gone smoothly if that fool hadn't used the grenades," I muttered, recalling the chaos. I drew my knees closer and rested my head between them, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

"Where is he?" the driver asked, his voice low and cautious.

"He's dead," I replied immediately, my voice flat. "Dead and gone. And now my face is out there. Everyone is going to be wary of me from now on."

The weight of the situation settled over us as we sat in the moonlit forest, the distant lights of our hideout flickering through the trees. The night sounds of rustling leaves and distant animals filled the silence, adding to the gravity of our predicament.

I sighed and shook my head, trying to dispel my frustration. "Can you believe those fucking robots weren't scared of me being a vampire?" I said, referring to the modified heroes with the metallic parts. The driver just sighed, covering his face with his hands in exasperation. He was just glad to have gotten out safely.

The sound of footsteps approached, signaling the arrival of my friends. I tapped the driver, urging him to get up. "Come on, let's go meet them and explain what happened," I said. We stood up and headed toward the approaching figures, ready to recount the night's harrowing events under the moonlit canopy.