𝚃𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝙴𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜𝚎 (𝙳𝙺 𝙼𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚏 𝚡 𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒)

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 6

~

𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙾𝙽 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚄𝙻𝚂𝙴𝚂

{𝙳𝙴𝙺𝙰𝚈𝙻𝙸𝙽}

"Police are baffled by the escalating murders and disappearances..."

Mani and I entered the kitchen as the news broadcast played from one of the flatscreens. Bey was at the dining room table, workin' on some stuff when she looked up to watch, John watched from the kitchen island with concern, and Tyler eyed the broadcast from the couch.

"...theories range from a vicious new gang to a wildly active serial killer..."

"Look who survived the dog park," Tyler said, smirking at me. "Need somethin' for those flea bites?"

I chuckled as I went over to dap him up.

"Nah, bro," I responded. "I'm good. It was chill."

"Seattle?" Mani asked, comin' up next to Bey.

"Yeah," the blonde responded. "And it's gettin' worse. We're gonna have to do somethin'."

"Vic still hasn't had any visions about who's doin' this."

"So we track 'em down and kick their bloodthirsty ass," Tyler shrugged. "I say we do it now. I'm bored as hell."

"Tyler..." Kelly said, comin' down the stairs while lookin' at him in a warning tone.

He subtly rolled his eyes as Kelly kissed him on the cheek. Classic black mom move – showing affection after chastisement.

"How'd you even hear what I said?" he asked. "You were all the way upstairs."

"Baby, you're our loudest child. Dinah and I could hear you pretty clear. And she told me to tell you hi, D."

I smiled her way before noticing Mani abruptly look at John, probably reading his mind.

"I didn't think of that," she said. "But...yeah, it makes sense."

"Ya'll..." I said, exasperated that they keep doin' that.

"What you thinkin', baby?" Bey asked John.

"It takes more than one of our kind to cause the damage they're reporting," he said. "Quite a few more. They're undisciplined, conspicuous-"

"Newborns," Mani chimed in.

"As in..." I said, "...new vampires?"

"In their first months after the change," Bey confirmed.

"That's when we're at our most vicious," John told me. "We're uncontrollable and insane with thirst."

"Somethin' to look forward to," Tyler said, nudging my shoulder playfully.

I chuckled some before John continued.

"No one's trained these newborns, but this little stunt ain't random."

"Someone's creating an army," Bey said in realization.

John nodded.

"Then we definitely gotta go handle business," Tyler said.

"Wait, an army?" I asked. "Of vampires?"

"There haven't been any newborn armies in over a century," Bey explained. "At least, not that I knew of."

"There is, now," John said. "And they've been created to fight someone."

"We're the only clan even close to Seattle," Mani said.