CHAPTER 10: CH 10: THE NETWORK.

Levi stood slowly as he thought to himself, ’She’s the one who did this?’

His mouth remained agape while he stared at her, "kheum... Who’s she Selene?"

Selene wiped off the pooling sweat from her forearm, pointing in the direction of Umbra, "This is Umbra... Her real name’s Isabella Carter."

Levi just stared at them both wide eyed.

Umbra stretched out her hand to shake him, "I’ve heard a lot about you..."

He froze, not replying, just glaring at the hand in front of him before—

Drawing his gun and aiming between her eyes.

The LUX soldiers still alive wasted no time before providing support to their ally and aiming for Levi.

Selene eyes fully opened, a rare occurrence, her voice calm, "Levi, what the hell are you doing?"

His fingers tensed round the gun as he ignored all others and focused on Umbra alone, "Selene, there’s only one reason I agreed to join your unit..."

He paused, exchanging glances between Selene and Umbra simultaneously.

Umbra did nothing, her hand still stretched out like she was frozen in place.

Selene stepped forward, almost between them, her voice calm, "What was the reason, Levi?"

"You said that the entire point of this unit was to kill vampires... So what is she?"

Umbra finally scoffed as she pulled her hand, "me?, I’m far more efficient than you?"

Levi tightened his gaze, cocked the gun,"let’s see how efficient you are with a bullet between your eyes."

Umbra hissed, "Try me."

Zack called out from afar, "excuse me, if I may?"

The LUX soldiers turned along with Selene and Umbra but not Levi.

Zack walked like a man with a mission, the silhouette of his coat flaring wild in the air, "uhmm... If I may," He stepped in between Levi’s gun tip and Umbra, "Yes, technically she’s a vampire but she also isn’t—"

Levi interrupted him, "once a vampire, always a vampire."

Zack stopped him, "except not, vampires have antibodies that literary secrete neurotoxins that suppress oxytocin and serotonin... That’s why they can’t feel emotions or empathy—

"Why are you telling me something I already know Zack?"

Zack finally raised his voice, "Umbra doesn’t have that antibody...

Levi blinked, "And what exactly does that mean?"

Zack tugged on his coat, "It means, in simple terms, she feels emotions and compassion like the rest of us... How? I honestly don’t know yet."

Levi’s thoughts ran wild for a second, ’How is that even possible?, All vampires are monsters, aren’t they?’

Before finally asked the question, "So how does she feed?"

Selene snapped her head at him, "There’s such a thing as blood bags, you idiot, now drop the goddamn gun."

Levi’s grip loosened before he slowly lowered the gun, "sorry."

The soldiers glanced at Selene, she gave them the order, "Drop your guns."

He didn’t mean it whatsoever, whatever she was, it still wasn’t human which means she had to die but not now, if he tried anything they’d drop him too.

He extended his hand out now, she stared at the hand for a minute before shaking him.

Zack walked over to one of the bodies on the floor before tapping the side of the glasses— it zoomed in.

Umbra asked, "who is it?"

"The Network."

Selene walked through, "So it’s the network who found us first... Oh god."

Levi stared blankly, his mind trying to make sense of what he was hearing, "what’s the network?"

Selene let out a long sigh, "Where do we even begin?... You already know that only the original test subjects who took the Darwin Serum can reach S-Class right?"

Levi nodded, "yeah?"

"... Well this is the organisation of one of them, Caleb Munroe, who’s built forces beyond our control, powerful enough to rule the world and might as well be... From presidents to world leaders."

Levi stopped her, "wait wait wait, you’re saying a vampire has humans willingly working for him."

Zack stood up, wiping his knees, "Their calling card is just a simple insignia of a tongue of fire."

Umbra cut in, "And now they know our location so we have to move or at least mask this place."

Selene nodded, "I agree."

"But why would anyone willingly work with a vampire?"

Selene let out a slight chuckle, "you don’t still get it, this isn’t the world you left, humans are merely just cockroaches looking for a way to survive, anyhow possible."

Snrrrhhh...

The dead body next to Zack shot out its hand— grabbing Zack’s Levi.

He shrieked.

Levi and Selene didn’t hesitate before pulling their guns and emptying their bullets into its body.

Zack fell back as he backpedaled on the floor, "Wa.. what the hell is that?"

Selene stepped closer to its body, analysing its features— dark blue veins, skin turned to shriveled paper and hair that fell off the hand as soon as you grabbed it.

She turned while crouching low, using his fingers to rub her temple, "It’s another variant."

Levi snapped, "how many variants are there?"

Umbra answered, "Too many."

Clapping her hands twice to gather the attention— they all turned, "move out now."

The LUX soldiers wasted no time, they immediately started to load up the trucks with the equipment.

He helped Zack get up and dust himself off, "So where exactly are we going?"

He straightened his glasses, pushing them back to the ridge of his nose, "You thought the LUX unit only had one location, you’d be sorely mistaken."

"So which one are we going to? " His tone neutral, " Why does this Caleb Monroe want with LUX anyway?"

Zack laughed, "well if it isn’t obvious, he doesn’t exactly love the fact that we’re killing his kind."

"So what about the rest of the S-Class vampires?"

He shrugged his shoulders, " No idea, S-Class vampires aren’t seen, they mostly keep to themselves, the only reason we know about Caleb is because of his recent bold moves... And well then there’s the child?"

Levi’s brows furrowed, his eyes wide, " What child?"

Zack swerved his head, beads of sweat instantly forming on his forehead, his eyes kept darting to Selene— even as she was no longer in sight, "It’s cla—classified," he said nervously.

Just as he turned to walk away— Levi grabs him by his wrist, frustration-riddled face, "Look, I can accept them not telling me but come on Zack, tell me the truth here."

Zack sighed, his shoulders drooped, his voice in silent whispers, "The child’s Katherine Munroe—"

"Wait... His sister or his mother?", Levi said urgently as he interrupted Zack.

"Listen to me for a second," his voice high pitched.

Levi stopped talking, whatever he walked to say, it was serious.

Zack sighed, "No one knew about Caleb Munroe, until what he did in Clearwater— a small town in Europe where he cleared out everyone...

Man, woman and child, no one was spared," his was visibly shaken as he balanced himself next to a stationed stand.

"Everything was drenched in blood except for the dead bodies, completely drained out except one woman... I don’t know her name but I heard that during mortality inspection — to know the amount dead, her body was the only one missing

They assumed he just turned her until the rumors of the birth of Katherine... No one knows how or why, but what we do know is that she’s the first ever true born vampire."