The Chronicles: Green Night

Failed Plan

"Excuse me, can I borrow your phone? I need to make a call," Anna rushed into the gas station, her face etched with horror.

"Of course, but may I ask what's wrong? You seem pretty scared," the cashier replied, though his concern was far from genuine.

"Some crazy people attacked me and my friends at our family's house. I'm the only one who escaped. Could you please let me use your phone?" Anna pleaded.

"That's terrible. I hope your friends are all right. Here's the phone," the cashier handed Anna the phone with a broad grin. Anna cautiously took the phone and began dialing Lys' number, keeping her eyes locked with the cashier's.

"You know, maybe we could look for your friends together, or even better, call the police right away. Don't you think that would be a better approach than contacting your friends? The situation sounds pretty bad. You said you were attacked by a group of men, right?" The cashier began to probe Anna's motives, his smile never fading.

"Well, you have a point. That's why I'm calling my friend. She's a cop in the next town," Anna replied, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. "Oh God, I hope Francis and Lucas are near the station."

"Really? That's quite a coincidence. I live in the only town near this village. Can you tell me the name of your friend? I might know her. The town's pretty small," the cashier said, taking slow steps toward Anna.

"Uh, you know, she's pretty new in town. You probably wouldn't know her. She came with us and then left for the city," Anna replied, inching toward the exit.

"Maybe, but I'd still like to know the name of our new police officer," he continued, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Her name isn't that important, you know?" Anna said and quickened her pace towards the exit.

As Anna spoke to Lys on the phone, her relief washed over her, but before she could say a word, the cashier was standing in front of her, his hand around her throat. He quickly snatched the phone from her grasp and ended the call. Anna tried to locate Francis and Lucas as she struggled to loosen the cashier's vice-like grip on her throat, but her efforts were in vain.

"You don't have to wait for your friends; they're already outside waiting for you. Trust me, you'll see them again before you die," the cashier sneered as he loosened his grip slightly.

At that moment, Anna recognized not only her own fear, but also the fear emanating from her friends. It was probably clouded by her own fear. While she was contemplating these thoughts, the cashier dragged her out of the gas station by her hair. Agonizing pain coursed through her body, causing her to scream and struggle against the man's grip.

"Anna! You idiot, what are you doing?" Lucas shouted as he and Francis watched as Anna was forcibly removed from the building.

A group of twenty armed men stood in front of Anna, holding Francis and Lucas. One thing she noticed was the absence of a vampire or a clear leader among the group; it seemed that the mastermind had not yet arrived.

But after a few moments of agony, the realization hit her like a brick: the cashier was the leader of the group. However, he couldn't be the vampire; he didn't trigger their powers when they were near him. This suggested that the vampire who coordinated everything had not yet appeared. They were probably being taken to the mastermind right now.

"So, before we go to the camp, let me introduce myself. I'm Daniel, and don't worry, you don't need to introduce yourselves. I already know who you are, thanks to the friendly witches we interviewed before you arrived. Now let's venture into the forest and see what you really came for, shall we?" Daniel let Anna fall to the ground and had his men tie her up.

The trio refrained from sharing their thoughts on this revelation, each one lost in thought, devising an escape plan as they were carried toward the enemy camp. As the minutes passed, they neared the forest, where the encroaching darkness threatened to make their escape even more difficult.

The dim light revealed an old mausoleum in the distance, which only served to complicate their predicament. There was only one way out of this ruin, adding to the difficulty of any potential escape.

"Go visit your 'family. Maybe you can help them solve their problem before you meet your end, who knows?" Daniel chuckled as his men pushed open the large double doors of the tomb.

A chilling gust of wind enveloped the three prisoners, causing them to shiver in the cold. As they entered their confinement, the agonizing cries of the remaining witches echoed from the depths of the tomb, instilling great fear in the captives. They understood that the fate of the other witches had dire implications for their own.

"Do you enjoy this ambience? The cold and the tortured moans, it feels like I've returned to the days of Vlad. I enjoy the darkness of suffering that pervades this temple, don't you?" Daniel asked, his eyes devoid of emotion as he looked at the bound friends.