Hunter's Attack

Hunter's Attack
Elena followed the vampire guards through the dark tunnel. Her mind raced with everything Amara had told her. The Shadow Walker. True immortality. A ritual under the blood moon. It was too much to take in.
The tunnel seemed to go on forever. Water dripped from the roof, and the only light came from small blue flames that lit up along the walls as they walked. The guards held Elena's arms tight, making it hard for her to move.
"Where are you taking me?" Elena asked, but the vampires stayed quiet.
Suddenly, a loud boom shook the tunnel. Dirt fell from the ceiling. The vampires looked at each other with worry in their red eyes.
"What was that?" one of them whispered.
Another boom, louder this time. The whole tunnel shook. Cracks spread across the walls.
"He's coming," Elena said with a small smile. She could feel Lucian getting closer through their strange link.
The third boom was the biggest. Part of the tunnel roof crashed down right behind them. The guards pulled Elena faster, but she dragged her feet, slowing them down.
Then the wall beside them burst.
Dust filled the air. Elena couldn't see anything. The guards let go of her arms as they spun around to face the attack. When the dust cleared, Elena saw guys in black clothes streaming through the hole in the wall. They held silver guns that glowed in the dark tunnel.
Victor's hunts.
A tall man stepped through the hole last. His face had a long scar down one side. His eyes glowed red like a vampire's, but not as bright. It was Victor.
"Get the girl," he told his men. "Kill the vampires."
The tunnel filled with fights. Silver knives flashed. Vampires hissed. Elena pressed herself against the wall, trying to stay out of the way. Her magic felt weak after using so much earlier.
One of her guards fell with a silver knife in his chest. The other fought three hunts at once. Elena saw her chance to run, but which way? Back toward Amara or forward to who knows where?
Before she could decide, someone grabbed her arm. She turned, ready to fight, and found herself face to face with Victor.
"Elena," he said, his voice strangely gentle. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Up close, Elena could see that Victor wasn't like the other vampires. His skin didn't have that perfect, marble look. His eyes weren't fully red. He seemed stuck between human and vampire.
"What are you?" she asked.
"There's no time to explain," Victor said. "We need to get you out of here before—"
A roar echoed through the tube. Both Elena and Victor turned to see Lucian rushing toward them. His eyes blazed blue, his fangs fully expanded. He looked more animal than man.
"Stay away from her!" Lucian growled.
Victor pushed Elena behind him. "Still Amara's puppet, Lucian? After all these years?"
Lucian stopped a few feet away. "I'm nobody's puppet. Let Elena go."
"So she can be part of Amara's ritual? I don't think so."
Elena looked between the two men. Both claimed to be protecting her. Both could be wrong.
"Why should I trust you?" she asked Victor.
Victor reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver charm. "Because I knew your mother, Elena."
The tube seemed to freeze. The fighting around them faded into the background. Elena stared at the locket in Victor's hand.
"You're lying," she whispered.
"Open it," Victor said, holding it out to her.
With shaking hands, Elena took the locket. It felt warm, like it had been next to Victor's skin for a long time. She clicked it open.
Inside was a tiny picture. A man and woman holding a baby. The woman was Elena's mother—she recognized her from the few shots she had. The man beside her was younger, with no scar, but clearly Victor.
"That's you," Elena said, looking up at him. "With my parents. And..." Her voice caught. "That baby is me."
Victor nodded. "Your mother was my sister, Elena. I promised her I'd protect you."
"No," Lucian said, moving closer. "He's trying to trick you. He's a hunter. He kills our kind."
"I hunt those who deserve it," Victor shot back. "Like Amara. She's the one who killed your parents, Elena. Because of what you are."
Elena's head spun. Could this be true? Her scar tingled. The blue marks on her arm glowed brighter.
"If you're my uncle, why didn't you find me before?" she asked, holding the locket tight. "Why did I grow up alone in foster homes?"
Pain flashed across Victor's face. "I was watching you the whole time. I placed you with families I trusted. But I couldn't get too close. Amara was hunting both of us. I had to stay away to keep you safe."
The tube shook again. More dirt fell from the roof. The fight between hunters and vampires went on around them.
"We need to go," Victor pushed. "Now. Before Amara finds us."
Lucian stepped forward. "Elena, you can't trust him. Come with me."
Elena looked down at the locket, then at the blue marks covering her arm. The marks Amara had somehow put there without her knowing. She thought of the room full of vials of her blood.
"Lucian," she said softly. "Did you know? About Amara collecting my blood?"
Lucian paused just a second too long. "I didn't know everything."
"But you knew something," Elena pushed. Anger bubbled inside her. "You both used me."
"I was trying to protect you," Lucian maintained.
"By lying to me?"
Before Lucian could answer, the tube gave a violent shake. Large chunks of roof crashed down between them. Elena stumbled backward. Victor caught her arm, steadying her.
"We have to go!" he shouted over the noise.
Elena made her choice. She nodded at Victor.
Rage twisted Lucian's face. "Elena, no!"
Victor pulled her toward the hole his hunters had made. Elena looked back to see Lucian fighting to get through the fallen rocks. Their eyes met one last time before Victor whisked her away into a side shaft.
They ran through the darkness, Victor's hand tight around hers. Elena clutched the locket in her other hand. Could she trust him? Did she have a choice?
"Where are we going?" she gasped as they turned another corner.
"Somewhere safe," Victor said. "Somewhere Amara can't find you before the blood moon."
They burst out of the tunnel into the night air. Elena gulped in the fresh air. They were in a graveyard. Old tombstones stuck up from the ground like broken teeth.
Victor led her to a black van where more shooters waited. "Get in," he said, opening the door.
Elena paused. "What about Lucian?"
"He'll follow. The Life Debt won't let him stay away." Victor's words matched what Amara had said earlier.
As Elena climbed into the van, the ground shook one final time. She turned to see the graveyard split open. A blue light shot up from the crack like a signal into the night sky.
And rising from the light was a figure made of whirling shadows. A form with a woman's shape and familiar eyes.
The Shadow Walker was coming.