Blood hound

Blood hound

“You need rest.”
Lyra looked up at Damien as he said it. His voice was calm, but his eyes were tight with worry.
“I am fine,” she replied, even though her body felt heavy. Everything that happened underground kept replaying in her mind.
“You are not fine,” Maya said softly. “None of us are.”
They stood in the middle of an empty road outside the city. Smoke still rose faintly in the distance where the hospital had been. Sirens echoed far away, growing louder by the minute.
“We cannot stay here,” Jack said. “Authorities will be all over the place soon. And if that man has people above ground, they will start searching.”
Rowan nodded. “We need somewhere safe. Somewhere hidden.”
“I know a place,” Cole said.
They all turned to him.
“My family has an old safe house in the hills,” he continued. “It is far from towns. No signal. No roads. Only those who know the path can reach it.”
“Good,” Kade said. “Lead the way.”
The journey took hours.
They drove through back roads, then dirt tracks, then narrow paths barely wide enough for the vehicle. By the time they reached the safe house, the sun was already sinking behind the hills.
The building was small and simple. Stone walls, a metal door, and no windows facing the road. It looked abandoned, but Cole unlocked the door with ease.
Inside, it was clean and prepared. There were beds, stored food, medical supplies, and weapons.
“This place is stocked regularly,” Cole said. “Just in case.”
Jack shut the door behind them. “Looks like your family plans ahead.”
“They always have,” Cole replied.
They spread out quietly. Some checked the rooms. Others secured the exits.
Lyra sat on the edge of one of the beds, her hands resting in her lap. Her body felt tired, but her mind would not slow down.
Damien sat beside her. “Talk to me.”
She hesitated, then sighed. “What if he is right. What if I was created. What if my whole life was just part of their plan.”
Damien met her eyes. “Your life is yours. No one gets to take that from you.”
“But what if I am dangerous,” she whispered. “What if I lose control.”
Maya joined them. “You saved us back there.”
Lyra shook her head. “I did not mean to. It just happened.”
“That does not make it bad,” Maya said. “It makes you powerful.”
Lyra leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment. “I do not feel powerful. I feel scared.”
“That is normal,” Cole said from across the room. “Anyone in your place would feel the same.”
Jack finished setting up security measures and walked over. “We should rest in shifts. Someone must stay awake at all times.”
“I will take first watch,” Rowan said.
“I will join you,” Kade added.
The others nodded.
Hours passed in silence.
Lyra lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep refused to come. Her chest felt tight, her thoughts spinning.
She finally stood and walked outside.
The night air was cool and calm. Stars filled the sky, bright and endless.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
“I thought I might find you here,” Damien said.
She did not turn. “How can the world look so normal when everything is wrong.”
He stood beside her. “Because the world keeps moving, even when we feel stuck.”
She hugged her arms. “What if I am the reason all this is happening.”
“Then we deal with it,” he replied. “Together.”
She looked at him. “You are not afraid of me.”
“No,” he said without hesitation. “I am afraid for you.”
That made her throat tighten.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
They stood in silence, watching the stars.
Inside the safe house, something shifted.
Maya sat up suddenly, her senses on edge.
She moved quietly to the door and listened.
Nothing.
Still, a strange feeling settled in her chest.
She opened the door slowly.
The night was silent.
Too silent.
She turned back inside, about to wake the others, when a sharp pain exploded in her head.
She gasped and fell to her knees.
“Maya,” Lyra shouted, rushing toward her.
Maya lifted her head, eyes wide with fear. “Something is wrong.”
Before anyone could react, the lights inside the safe house flickered, then died.
Darkness swallowed the room.
“Everyone stay together,” Jack ordered.
A low hum filled the air.
Then a voice echoed through the building.
“You are very hard to track.”
Lyra’s heart dropped.
The voice was calm, smooth, and familiar.
“He found us,” Rowan said quietly.
The walls began to glow faintly, strange symbols appearing across the stone.
“What is that,” Kade asked.
“Energy seals,” Cole replied. “He is locking the place down.”
“You cannot hide forever,” the voice continued. “And you cannot protect her.”
Lyra stepped forward. “Show yourself.”
The air shifted.
A figure emerged near the doorway.
Not the man from before.
This one was younger, taller, with dark eyes and a cold expression.
“Who are you,” Damien demanded.
“My name does not matter,” the man replied. “I am here to collect what belongs to us.”
“She does not belong to you,” Maya snapped.
The man’s gaze settled on Lyra. “You are wasting your potential.”
“I am choosing my own path,” Lyra said firmly.
The man smiled faintly. “Then you will be corrected.”
He lifted his hand.
Pain shot through Lyra’s body, sharp and sudden. She cried out, dropping to her knees.
“Lyra,” Damien shouted, rushing toward her.
Rowan and Kade attacked at the same time, but the man barely moved. An invisible force threw them back into the walls.
Jack fired, but the bullets dissolved before reaching him.
“Stop,” Maya screamed.
The man looked bored. “This is pointless.”
Something inside Lyra snapped.
Heat surged through her veins. Energy burst outward, throwing the man back several steps.
He landed hard, surprise flashing across his face.
“Interesting,” he muttered.
Lyra forced herself to stand. Her legs shook, but she stayed upright.
“You will not touch us again,” she said, her voice steady.
The man studied her, then straightened slowly. “You are learning faster than expected.”
“Leave,” Damien warned.
The man stepped back toward the shadows. “This is only the beginning.”
The darkness swallowed him, and the pressure vanished.
The lights flickered back on.
Everyone stood frozen, breathing hard.
“That was not him,” Rowan said. “That was someone else.”
“Which means there are more,” Cole added.
Silence settled over the room.
Lyra sank onto the nearest chair, exhaustion crashing over her.
Maya knelt beside her. “Are you hurt.”
“No,” Lyra whispered. “Just tired.”
Damien crouched in front of her. “We cannot stay here.”
“I know,” she said.
Jack exhaled slowly. “We are no longer hiding. We are being hunted.”
Lyra looked up, her eyes burning with determination.
“Then we stop running.”
They all stared at her.
She stood slowly. “We find them. We destroy what they are building. And we make sure no one else suffers like this.”
A heavy silence followed.
Then Rowan nodded. “I am in.”
“So am I,” Kade said.
Maya and Cole exchanged a look, then nodded.