Jack finally found the strength to stand. Thirty minutes of lying there—soaked in pain, rage, and disbelief.
"Damn those vampires," he muttered.
His legs ached, but he dragged himself into the house.
The place was wrecked.
Blood smeared across the floor. Broken glass everywhere. Strands of hair, furniture overturned. The chaos left behind by Amanda and the others was still fresh. Jack stood silently, surveying it all with disgust.
His phone, somehow, had survived the chaos. Cracked screen. Still working.
Time to act.
He didn't hesitate. He dialed Joseph's number.
Two rings.
"Yoo, Jacky, what's up?"
"I'm about to go kill me some vampires, mate," Jack said, mocking a British accent.
"Hey—I told you. No chicken shit, remember?"
"Yeah, well... shit happens. Listen."
Jack took a breath—and let it all out. The nightmare from the night before: Anna's death, Amanda's insane strength, being hurled across the yard like a toy. He held nothing back.
There was a pause.
"Shit, man... How are you still alive?" Joseph finally asked.
"I don't know," Jack admitted. "But I swear to God, I'm ending this. They've crossed the line. In my city. My damn city, Joe."
"Okay, okay—slow down," Joseph said calmly. "You're all fired up. We need a plan first. And with the way this sounds, rescuing the ladies is part of it too. But bro, it's like one in the morning. I can't catch a flight now."
Jack said nothing. Just breathing.
"Wait till morning," Joseph continued. "When I get there, we'll come up with something. Cool?"
Jack shut his eyes. He wanted blood—but he knew Joseph was right.
"Yeah... You're right."
"Good. Get some rest. I'll be there first thing."
They hung up.
Jack slumped onto the couch. Blood on the floor, shards of glass nearby, the door still hanging open. His father's favorite chair lay broken in the yard.
And yet... that old couch felt like the only safe place left.
His eyes closed. His body gave in.
Not even trauma could fight off exhaustion.
---
Elsewhere...
The warehouse was silent.
The women sat huddled on the floor, cradling their infants. The cold floor offered no comfort.
"What are vampires, really?" Rachel finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I've only seen them in movies," Jane said. "Books, too. Stuff I watched when I was a kid."
"What killed them in those stories?" Indovah asked quickly.
Everyone turned to her.
"What?" she said. "You're all thinking it."
"She's not wrong," Divorah muttered. "We're all thinking the same thing. If they don't need us anymore... they're gonna kill us."
"In the movies, it was silver... sunlight... garlic," Jane said quietly.
Indovah looked around the dim room. "And we've got... sheets and mattresses. Yeah. We're screwed."
"Badly," Divorah added.
"Well..." Rachel straightened up. "We're not dead yet. We still have time. Let's not lose hope."
"Hope is about all we've got," Jane whispered.
---
6:00 AM – Jack's House
Joseph pulled up with the chopper from last time and after dropping him off it left, he spotted the front door of Jack's house was wide open. The porch chair was shattered into splinters.
"Must be where Amanda gave him those flying lessons," he muttered, stepping inside.
The mess hadn't been cleaned. Blood. Glass. Hair. Chaos.
"Damn. What a party."
He spotted Jack passed out on the couch, snoring like a baby—arms wide, head tilted back.
Joseph walked over and slapped him lightly on both cheeks.
"Hey. Jack. Get your ass up."
"Huh—what? Who's there?" Jack jolted upright.
"Dude," Joseph said, shaking his head. "You sleep like a rock. After everything you told me you still sleeping like this? A helicopter literally landed and has taken off and you're were still out cold. Good thing those vampires didn't come back to finish the job."
"Shut it," Jack grunted, rubbing his face. "Not in the mood."
He stood up slowly. "Give me a minute. Shower time."
Forty minutes later, Jack stepped out dressed and ready.
"Let's go."
"Go where?" Joseph asked.
"To see our friends in green uniforms."
---
The Silverfork Army base was surrounded by barbed wire and electric fencing. The only way in was through a massive steel gate. Behind it stretched a vast complex: training grounds, shooting ranges, and a towering six-story building that served as headquarters.
Jack and Joseph passed through security and drove toward the building. When they reached it, they stepped out and approached the front.
A guard was stationed there.
"Well, if it isn't our lovely mayor," the soldier said with a grin. "How can I help you?"
"Is Herald in?" Jack asked.
"Yes, sir. One moment."
As the guard went inside, Joseph leaned over.
"They treat you like royalty, huh?"
"Don't start," Jack muttered.
Moments later, the doors opened and out walked Herald Hughes, the Silverfork Army's Commander in Chief. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a presence that demanded respect.
"Mr. Mayor!" he called out, arms wide.
Jack greeted him with a solid hug.
"And Joseph," Herald said, shaking his hand. "Good to see you again."
"Likewise, Chief." Joseph responded back
Herald looked Jack over. "Can't believe a kid like you is mayor. How old are you now?"
"Twenty-three."
"Jesus." Herald laughed. "I'm hitting forty-two. Been in this army since I was eighteen. Your dad and you know we were close as brothers. He never stopped talking about you."
"I remember visiting this place too when I was kid," Jack said. "Hated it. No TV. No fun. Just gun drills."
"Well, those were the days." Herald smiled.
"I need a favor though that's why am here exactly," Jack said.
"Let's hear it." Herald Huges said
---
They went inside and sat in Herald's office. Papers and documents cluttered the table.
Jack told him everything from Quinn, to the ancestral pact, to the battle at his home.
Herald leaned back, arms crossed. "Gotta be honest, Jack... I don't know if I believe all of this. Vampires? A secret deal going back generations? Your father never said a word."
"They mentioned my great-great-grandfather," Jack replied.
"Could've done their homework," Joseph added. "If they've been making this deal for decades, a little slip-up from Anna wouldn't make them panic. They're acting too fast, too hard."
Herald nodded. "You might have a point. If the deal was legit, we'd have heard something by now."
"So you think the contracts are fake?" Jack asked.
"I'm saying it's a possibility," Herald said.
---
They got to work.
"Here's the plan," Jack began. "We hit them at night."
Everyone raised an eyebrow.
"Their castle is at the town's edge, right next to the waste factory," he explained. "The toxic clouds it produces block out sunlight entirely which gives them perfect cover for them. But those factories shut down at 6 p.m. By eleven or midnight atleast, the skies clear the toxic clouds. From 5 to 7 a.m the waste industry is still closed. That gives us the sunlight advantage if we are continue to fight the vampires till morning."
"Damn... they really thought this through," Herald muttered.
"I've seen the their castle and their surrounding," Jack said. "There's a big wooden warehouse with an iron roof at the back of the castle, I think that's where the girls are locked up."
"So what's the move?" Joseph asked.
"We go in quiet. Your army mobilizes at midnight. You drive within a few miles of the castle, then ditch the vehicles and go on foot. Total silence."
"And you two?" Herald asked.
"We sneak in through the back. Hit the warehouse. Free the girls. Once they're safe, you go loud. Blow the place to hell."
Herald leaned forward. "Think a thousand men is enough for five vampires?"
Jack nodded. "If we play it smart smart? Yeah."
Herald grinned. "Then it's settled. Time to go vampire hunting."
---
Meanwhile, inside the vampire castle…
Amanda found Quinn staring through the tall glass window at the top of the tower.
"I just gave the women their breakfast," she said, stepping beside him.
"Good," Quinn replied. "A few more months until they're ready."
Amanda scowled. "Don't forget you already had your share. You killed Anna. And the baby."
"She was losing it. Said she was gonna jump off the cliff. What did you expect me to do?"
"You could've locked her up like the others. But no you did your own thing."
Amanda continued angrily. "There are five of us. Five women. Five children.
I don't care if i had my fill replied back Quinn casually. If Durban wants one... he can fight me for it."
"You're disgusting." Amanda said.
"I'm stronger. He knows it."
Amanda rolled her eyes. "You men are pathetic. Anyway... you're not worried the mayor might retaliate?"
"Let him come," Quinn said. "I haven't had a good sport in a while."
"Your cockiness will get you killed," she said, walking away.
Quinn kept staring out the window.
---
Back in the warehouse...
"Maybe we can tie the sheets together and strangle Amanda when she brings food," Indovah suggested.
"That won't work," Rachel replied. "She's stronger than all of us put together. Maybe twice that."
"Then we're still screwed," Divorah muttered.
"For now," Rachel said softly, lying back on the mattress.
"But miracles happen... right?"