Jungeun opened the door and looked to both sides.

“Take this.” Jungeun turned to them, and handed them their phones. They mumbled a quick thanks and Jungeun dashed out the room.

Hyunjin sprinted after her, making sure Heejin followed behind. A couple vampires ran in the same direction, cursing under their breaths.

They followed Jungeun through the corridors, and as they stepped outside the building, Hyunjin halted, her eyes becoming huge.

Vampires and slayers fought everywhere. The amount of different scents was overwhelming, making Hyunjin dizzy. Slayers swung their silver weapons, and vampires fought back with their inhuman speed and strength.

Never in her life had Hyunjin witnessed a fight this big. The slashes of their weapons, the screams of either the vampires or slayers hitting, or getting hit. A vampire, just a few steps away from her side, jumped to a slayer, who with a quick reflex, turned and swung his sword, cutting through the vampire’s chest. His body turned to ash, flying out with the wind.

“What are you doing?! Come on!” Jungeun shouted.

Hyunjin didn’t have the time to worry about what was happening around her. “Where’s Jiwoo?” she asked, looking around, trying to find her scent in the middle of the dozens, but it was almost impossible. “I can’t track her scent.”

“I know where she probably is.” Jungeun resumed her run.

Before running after her, Hyunjin looked at Heejin. At the terror in her eyes, as they didn’t blink, and were locked on the scene happening before them.

“Heejin! We need to go!”

But she didn’t even seem to be listening. Hyunjin grabbed her wrist, gave it a little shake, and she finally snapped out of it and met Hyunjin’s eyes.

“I know you’re scared. Don’t leave my side,” Hyunjin said.

“Aren’t we supposed to help? My friends are probably here!”

“But they have their weapons, and we don’t. We can’t do anything. Let’s just go.”

Heejin nodded, and without letting go of her wrist, Hyunjin took on a run after Jungeun, avoiding all the havoc happening around them.

They were approaching another building, Hyunjin ducking to avoid a flying slayer thrown by a vampire.

“Heejin!” A voice boomed behind them.

Hyunjin halted, and Heejin almost bumped into her. They turned, and when Hyunjin’s eyes landed on the woman standing, staring at them, at Hyunjin, with the same anger in her eyes and her unmistakable rapier in hand, her whole being froze.

“Y-Yves?” Heejin’s voice seemed like it came from the bottom of a well.

“Let go of her, vampire!”

She dashed to them, sword pointed at her, but Hyunjin couldn’t move, and death flashed before her very eyes, just like it did that night.

Heejin jumped in front of Hyunjin, arms wide opened. “Stop!”

The woman halted, taking a step back, her eyes huge. “What are you doing, Heejin? Move!”

“No. I won't let you attack her.”

“Heejin, what’s gotten into you? She’s a vampire! Is she threatening you?”

“She’s different.”

Hyunjin’s heart hit so hard it deafened her for a second.

“What did you do to her, vampire?!” Yves shouted, her eyes meeting Hyunjin’s, her anger so raw it hurt. But it was the fact that Yves didn’t seem to even recognize Hyunjin like she did Yves that made her fists curl into balls.

“She did nothing! She never did. That’s why she’s different.”

Yves shook her head, taking another step back and lowering the rapier. “You went missing, we came here to save you, and this is how you repay us? All of us that are here, risking their lives for you? Breaking our number one rule?”

“And I thank you, Yves. You did save us-”

“Saved you!”

“But I can’t let you hurt her,” Heejin finished.

“Hurt her? You’re protecting a vampire!”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m giving you one more chance, Heejin. Move.” Yves raised the rapier, its sharp tip pointed at Hyunjin.

Heejin’s body trembled, even more than before. Still, she didn’t budge.

“What happened to you, Heejin?” Yves asked, her voice now low, as if she was in the verge of crying.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Vivi will know about this,” she said, before turning and taking off in a run.

Heejin lowered her arms, and took a long breath, as if she had been holding it all this time.

“H-Heejin-”

“Let’s go, we lost track of Jungeun.” Heejin walked past her.

“Wait!” Hyunjin held her wrist, making her stop and look back at her. “Why did you... do this?”

“What do you mean why?”

There were so many questions in Hyunjin’s mind that she couldn’t come up with anything to say. They held each other’s gaze, and this time, Hyunjin didn’t feel like she was staring at a slayer – and Heejin didn’t seem to be staring at a vampire. There wasn’t the same hatred, or the fear in her eyes as she looked at Hyunjin.

“Hyunjin!” Jiwoo’s voice made both girls snap.

“Where the hell have you been?” Jungeun asked them.

“Sorry, we lost you,” Hyunjin said.

“Use your damn nose!”

“Doesn’t matter, let’s just go!” Jiwoo said, leading the way.

Hyunjin and Heejin followed them, still avoiding everything happening around them.

But maybe they forgot for a second that Heejin was a slayer, meaning, a human with no super speed whatsoever.

“Wait!” Hyunjin said. Jungeun and Jiwoo halted a few meters ahead, frowning at them.

Hyunjin squatted, turning her back at Heejin. “Hop on.”

“What?”

“Hurry up!”

Heejin circled her arms around Hyunjin’s neck and Hyunjin held on her legs.

“Hold tight,” Hyunjin warned before dashing after them again.

Heejin yelped, her arms hardening around Hyunjin’s neck. They were almost out of the front gates when a voice boomed, so loud it made them stop on their tracks.

“RETREAT, TO THE WOODS!” the man shouted in the middle of the war.

And with that, the vampires dashed to every direction, and the slayers tried to run after them.

“Hyunjin?” Heejin asked, but Hyunjin didn’t answer.

Not when her eyes laid on him.

“Hey, what are you waiting for?” Jungeun shouted.

For countless years, she had been looking for him. And now, where she least expected, when she wasn’t actually looking for him, there he was. Fighting two slayers who launched at him while the vampires scattered towards the woods surrounding the area.

An almost uncontrollable anger took over Hyunjin’s body, making her walk towards him, her hands grasping on Heejin’s legs

“Hyunjin! What are you doing?” Heejin asked, her voice panicked, but Hyunjin didn’t stop. “Stop! You’re hurting me.”

Hyunjin’s legs followed Heejin’s command, and her grip eased.

“Please, let’s just go!”

Heejin was scared, again. Jungeun and Jiwoo were counting on her.

But he was there, right before her eyes.

Hyunjin clenched her jaw and let her eyes close, and grunting, she turned and dashed towards Jungeun and Jiwoo, who did the same as soon as she did.

“Follow me,” Hyunjin said, leading the way now.

The priority now was getting herself and the ones who were counting on her to safety, even though her mind still told her to go back and get the revenge she always looked for.

They had to slow down as they approached a more populated and busy area of the city, where Hyunjin had parked Bumblebee.

“You remember where I live, right?” Hyunjin asked Jungeun.

“Yes.”

“Then meet us there, we’ll go on my motorcycle from here.”

“You ride a motorcycle?” Jiwoo asked, and she nodded, pointing to the black and yellow vehicle by the other side of the road. “Wow, so cool, Hyunjin!”

“Alright, we’ll be there asap,” Jungeun said, grabbing Jiwoo’s hand and dashing off.

Hyunjin squatted so Heejin could go down her back, and before she crossed the road to get to Bumblebee, she turned to Heejin. “You okay?”

Heejin looked up at her, and Hyunjin could clearly see how forced that small smile was. “Yes. Let’s go.”

It was Heejin who went on ahead, and waited for Hyunjin to hop on first. Heejin sat on the second seat, struggling to find what she was supposed to hold on.

“Just hold on to me,” Hyunjin said, turning the engine on.

As if Hyunjin hadn’t just transported Heejin on her back, and as if they hadn’t been hugging just a while ago, shy hands held on her jacket. Hyunjin shook her head and grabbed Heejin’s arms, putting them properly around her stomach. “Like this. I won’t go slow.”

And as expected, as soon as Hyunjin kicked the ground and accelerated, Heejin’s grip tightened, her front pressed against Hyunjin’s back.

Mere ten minutes later, they arrived at Hyunjin’s house. She stopped Bumblebee, and the grip around her torso eased.

“, I forgot to warn Jins-“

The front door barged open, with a wide-eyed Jinsol staring at them with her chin hanging low. “Hyunjin!” She ran to her, hugging her before she could even get off Bumblebee. “What the hell happened? Neither of you answered my calls or messages, I had no idea where you were!”

Hyunjin hugged her back, burying her face on Jinsol’s neck. She didn’t know she would feel so relieved, like a weight that had been pressing down on her chest was finally lifted.

“Let’s get inside,” Hyunjin said.

And as soon as she stepped inside, Diana and Selene ran to her, meowing and rubbing their heads on her ankles.

“My babies,” Hyunjin mumbled, squatting so she could pet them and give them kisses.

Diana suddenly left her side, meowing again. Hyunjin stood up, observing as the grey cat said hello to Heejin.

“Hi there, Diana.” Heejin grabbed her by her belly, bringing her to her chest. Since when did they get that close, that Diana let her do that?

“Please, just tell me what happened.” Jinsol urged.

“Let Jungeun and Jiwoo arrive first,” Hyunjin said, walking to sit on her armchair.

“Jungeun and Jiwoo? What? Why would they be coming here?”

“The bastards that got Heejin and locked me with her... They’re monsters who are forcing their ranks to turn other vampires, who knows what for. Jungeun helped us escape because I promised I would help her and Jiwoo in return.”

“Wait, what?!” Jinsol dropped to the couch. “Got Heejin? How? You were locked with her?”

“Yeah, looks like a pretty long story, doesn’t it?” Hyunjin said.

They looked at Heejin as she sat beside Jinsol, waiting for her to speak.

“Wait, they’re arriving.” Hyunjin jumped to her feet as their scents reached her nose, and rushed to the door, opening it and observing Jungeun and Jiwoo running towards them.

They slowed down, and Hyunjin moved aside, as if to tell them to come inside. They did so, and Hyunjin closed the door.

“Were you followed?” Hyunjin asked.

“No,” Jiwoo said, looking around. “Nice house you have! Thank you for receiving us.”

Diana and Selene approached the newcomers, and Selene hissed at them, catching their attention.

“Quit hissing at people, Selene!” Hyunjin said, scaring the cat away. Diana turned her back at them and went to lay beside Heejin, like she always did.

“Okay, but I’m gonna need a longer explanation,” Jinsol said.

“This is Jungeun and Jiwoo, and that’s Jinsol,” Hyunjin introduced them. “She’s not a vampire, but she knows everything.”

“A human?” Jiwoo asked, her eyes darting to Jinsol. “Wow.”

“What kind of reaction is that?” Jinsol irked an eyebrow.

“I haven’t properly met one in some time. You know, when I meet new people, they’re already turned.”

Jungeun nudged her.

“What? We just left that dead hole, do you expect me to keep everything a secret?” Jiwoo frowned at Jungeun, her usual lively voice suddenly deep and dark. “Didn’t we just escape so we can do something about it? Didn’t you want to do something about it?” She turned to Hyunjin.

“I want to end whatever’s going on there.”

“Then count on us.”

“How do we know we can trust you?” Hyunjin asked.

“Because that place is horrible,” Jungeun answered, head down, avoiding everyone’s eyes on her. “But we had no choice, we couldn’t not do what we were told.”

Hyunjin balled her fists, her blood boiling in her veins.

“We will tell you everything, but before that, take off your jacket,” Jungeun told Hyunjin.

“What?”

“Just do as I say.”

Hyunjin hesitated, but took off her jacket at last. Jungeun stole it from her hand, and looked at the back of it, like she was searching for something. Jiwoo stared at Hyunjin’s tattooed arm.

“Tattoos! Not only on your neck, but on your arm as well! You’re so cool, Hyunjin!”

She gave her a small smile, and finally, as Jungeun looked under the jacket’s collar, she removed something from there. A minuscule dot, barely visible between Jungeun’s fingers.

“How do you think I found you the other night? I couldn’t possibly track your scent without getting too close to you.”

Hyunjin let her chin drop. “A tracker?”

“Yes. Jinyoung put it on your jacket before you left that night.” Jungeun threw it on the floor and stepped on it. “Now they can’t track you anymore.”

Without saying anything, Hyunjin walked to her armchair and dropped her body there before her legs could fail her. “Do you two have trackers or localization chips or some like that as well?”

“No.”

“Goddess…” Hyunjin sighed. “Sit down, you two. We have a lot to talk about.”

---

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! Thank you for the support on this story already even though it's still pretty much in the beginning ♥️

Yves made her appearance, chuulip officially joined them, and 2jin getting a bit more... obvious there :)))