36. Fighting In The Woods

[Should I give you the details?]

'Do I even have a choice?'

[Great! Here are the details.]

[First Random Mission: Save The Vampire (Active).]

[Main Reward: 1000 Points.]

[Attribute Points: 20 Points.]

[Failure to fulfill missions equals system shutdown.]

Cara groaned internally. 'So, it's either do it or die?'

[Basically, yeah.]

She gritted her teeth. 'Let it be on record that I don't want to save that arrogant bitch.'

[Duly noted. Now quit stalling and get to it.]

Cara inhaled sharply, trying to calm her frustration. 'Remember when you asked if I liked your newfound savagery? Well, now I have an answer for you, Hagrit. I don't care for it. Nip it in the bud, right now.'

[I'll try. Anyway, you'll find Joana in the woods behind the diner, near the store.]

Cara exhaled, already dreading the mission ahead, when Farrah reappeared from the staff bathroom. She'd wiped off her makeup, likely to appease her strict, religious father who had always frowned upon it.

"Hey, let's get going," Farrah said, adjusting her bag.

Cara paused, quickly scrambling for an excuse. "Farrah, can you wait for me out here while I grab something from the locker room?"

Farrah frowned, her curiosity piqued. "What are you getting from your locker?"

Caught off guard by the question, Cara hesitated, then pressed forward with a hasty lie. "I just had a flashback, and I think there's something in my locker that might jog my memory."

Farrah's face lit up with interest. "Aww, can I come with you? Maybe I could help."

Cara shook her head quickly, mustering her most sincere smile. "No, I need to do this alone. Just wait here for me, okay?"

Farrah looked a little disappointed but nodded. "Okay, but don't take too long. The bus leaves in fifteen minutes, and we can't miss it."

"Got it. I will be fast" Cara said with a reassuring pat on Farrah's shoulder. She forced a smile, then turned and walked past her, her mind already racing toward the impending mission. Here goes fucking nothing.

—----

—----

As Cara made her way toward the locker room, she changed course at the last minute and headed to the kitchen instead. Her eyes darted to Farrah, ensuring her friend wasn't paying attention. At the corner of her eye, she noticed Jackie watching her closely. Cara ignored it. The mission was her sole focus now.

In the kitchen, she grabbed a knife and slipped out through the exit door that led to the store. Moving cautiously, she kept her footsteps deliberate and silent. As she stepped into the night, the trees behind the diner loomed, casting dark shadows that offered perfect cover. Cara paused behind some bushes when a sharp scream pierced the stillness. She crept toward the sound, her heart hammering against her ribs.

From her hidden position, she spotted them. The Scott brothers, all four of them stood over Joana Trier, who lay on the ground, bleeding from her wrists, and bound in chains. Her body was bare, and the silver chains around her sizzled against her skin, each contact burning her flesh with a sickening sound like meat searing on a grill. Joana's face twisted in pain, though she said nothing.

'How the hell did they bring her down? What did they use?' Cara thought, a mix of confusion and unease swirling inside her.

[Vampires have a weakness for silver, just like you, but theirs is way worse. Those chains are pure silver.]

'Will the silver burn me like that? Like it's burning her?'

[No, but it would weaken you significantly. You won't be able to use your powers and to a large extent it can weaken you to the point where you can't raise a finger.]

Cara's grip on the knife tightened as she remained hidden, her mind racing. From her vantage point, she listened to the brothers.

"She's so hot," Mylo sneered, licking his lips. "If she weren't such a vile creature, I'd say we have our way with her before draining her blood."

Victor, the eldest of the four brothers, scowled. "Focus. Stop thinking about these creatures as anything other than business. We're going to make a lot of money from this bitch. She comes into our territory, a human territory, acting like she owns the place. We'll use her to send a message, let this be a warning to her kind to stay out of these parts forever."

Suddenly, Joana let out a loud, maniacal laugh. Cara froze, unsure if Joana had snapped or was playing some dangerous game. Whatever it was, the vampire's outburst distracted the brothers, their attention drawn back to her. It was the moment Cara needed.

Without hesitation, she lunged from her hiding spot, targeting Mylo first. She grabbed him from behind, locking him into a tight chokehold. The knife gleamed in her hand as she pressed it close to his neck.

"If either of you comes any closer, I'll kill him," she said, her voice steady but her pulse racing.

Victor's eyes narrowed, but his lips curled into a cocky smile. "What do you think you're doing, missy?"

Cara smirked, her grip on Mylo tightening. "What does it look like I'm doing, Redneck?"

The insult hit a nerve. Victor's nostrils flared, and Mylo thrashed against her grip, but he was no match for her strength.

Victor took a step forward, his voice low and menacing. "The right thing to do right now is let my brother go, walk away, and forget what you saw here. If you don't, I'll kill you myself, consequences be damned. Leave now, missy."

Cara's smirk deepened. "Not happening." She tightened her chokehold until Mylo's struggles weakened. Within moments, he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Victor's eyes widened in horror, his confidence faltering. "What the hell did you do?"

Cara pointed the knife at him, her voice cold and commanding. "Now leave the vampire alone and get the hell out of here, or you're all going to die like your brother."

It was a bluff. Mylo was still alive, but Cara had already read Victor's mind—he believed his brother was dead.

Victor let out a roar of rage, charging toward her. "You nasty bitch! I'm going to enjoy killing you!"

For the first time in a long while, genuine fear flickered in Cara's chest. Her hand tightened on the knife, her heart racing as Victor loomed closer. Hell was certainly about to break loose.