4

The sound of the pickup truck's old engine roared in the cold Chicago morning, as João tightened his calloused hands on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror. He noticed the dark silhouette of the black van rounding the corner behind them, keeping a suspicious distance. His heart squeezed in his chest.

“Honey, hang on... I think they've found us,” he muttered, accelerating the van with all the force the tired engine could muster. The vehicle creaked in protest, jerking as it picked up speed along the bumpy asphalt road.

Tereza turned around in the passenger seat and saw the school speeding away. Her mind filled with dread at the thought of Mia. If this was what she feared, then her granddaughter was in great danger. With trembling hands, she pulled her cell phone out of her bag and started dialing Elisa.

“We have to warn Elisa! She has to pick Mia up from school!”

But before she could complete the call, a strong impact hit them from behind. The black van had caught up with them and was now throwing its force against the back of the truck, causing it to sway violently. Tereza let out a scream and held onto the dashboard, the cell phone slipping from her fingers and falling to the floor of the car. Fear grew inside her like a storm about to explode. Never before had they been attacked like this. Whoever was in that car had no intention of letting them escape.

João cursed, turning the steering wheel hard to try and maintain control. His eyes desperately searched for an escape route, but the narrow streets and decaying buildings didn't offer many options.

“Hold on tight, Tereza! I won't let them catch us!”

He made a sharp right turn into a less busy street. The van hesitated for a second, but soon followed, accelerating even more. The feeling of pursuit was suffocating, and the survival instinct roared in John, reminding him of all the times they'd had to flee in the past. But this time, it wasn't just a distant threat. This time, death was right behind them.

For a brief moment, it seemed that John had managed to lose them. The van fell behind, and he took the opportunity to enter a narrow alley, where he slowed down and tried to catch his breath.

“I think we made it...” he muttered, relieved.

But the relief was short-lived.

Two cars suddenly appeared from the sides of the street, completely closing the way. It was a trap. João felt his stomach drop.

Tereza picked up her cell phone with trembling fingers, dialing Elisa again. The phone rang once, twice, three times...

“Pick up, Elisa! For God's sake, pick up!”

Her daughter's voice finally echoed on the other end of the line.

“Mom? What's wrong?”

Before Tereza could answer, one of the cars accelerated and slammed violently into the side of the truck. The impact was brutal. Tereza let out a scream, and the cell phone flew out of her hands once again. João tried to hold on to the steering wheel, but it was too late.

The truck spun in the air, flipping over brutally. The world became a blur of crumpled metal, shattered glass and anguished screams. The sound of the impact echoed down the street, followed by the cruel silence that comes after tragedy.

The dust slowly settled, and all that remained was the wrecked hulk of the old truck. Inside it, João and Tereza were unconscious, their bodies bruised and trapped among the wreckage. And then the black cars pulled up around them, like predators circling their fallen prey.

The twisted truck lay on the side of the road, smoke rising from the crumpled hood. The glass of the windshield was shattered, and the metal of the bodywork creaked from time to time as it settled into its new destroyed shape. Inside, João and Tereza were unconscious, their bodies bruised and trapped among the wreckage.

The men got out of the black car with an uneasy calm. There was no hurry, no hesitation in their steps. They showed no fangs, nor did they look like creatures of the night, but something in their eyes shone supernaturally. An almost feverish, merciless light.

One of them, the taller one, approached the wrecked truck, tilting his head as if studying an experiment. The other stood nearby, arms crossed, watching expectantly.

“Tell me I'm wrong, but...” The taller man muttered, his eyes fixed on the inert bodies inside the vehicle. “If they were what we're looking for, they'd have started to heal by now.”

The other let out a bored sigh.

“É. They might even have a bit of magic in their blood, but it's too diluted with human blood to be of any interest to us.”

The two exchanged glances. For a moment, they stood there, as if pondering whether to put an end to John and Tereza. But, without saying another word, they shrugged and went back to their cars. Just as they arrived, they left, disappearing down the road like shadows, leaving the elderly couple at the mercy of fate.

Miles away, completely oblivious to her grandparents' tragic fate, Mia walked through the school corridors arm in arm with Amy, her best friend and Liam's sister.

It was through her friendship with Amy that Mia became close to Liam. Two years ago, when she arrived at school, Mia kept to herself, trying not to get attached to anyone as she always did. But a few days later, Amy also moved to town. Unlike Mia, Amy was outgoing, persistent and wasn't intimidated by her friend's reserve. Before long, she managed to break down the barriers Mia had tried to erect, and the two became inseparable.

Now, laughing together, Amy recounted how Liam had spent much of the previous day tidying his room, something that was practically unheard of.

“You had to see it, Mia, he was desperate!” Amy laughed. “My brother never cared about the mess, but yesterday he was organizing everything, changing the sheets, even vacuuming!”

Mia rolled her eyes, but couldn't contain her smile.

“He wanted to impress, he must have.”

Amy nudged her friend's arm.

“Oh, of course!”

It was at that moment that Liam appeared in the corridor. He walked with his natural confidence, a half-smile on his lips, his brown hair always a little disheveled on purpose, and his green eyes sparkling at the sight of Mia.

“Hey, how are the two most beautiful girls in school?” He asked with his carefree tone.

Mia felt her cheeks heat up. She still couldn't believe that Liam was interested in her. He was by far the most handsome boy in school. Tall, athletic, with that kind of rebellious air that made everyone sigh. But, for some reason, he wanted to go out with her.

Mia looked away, blushing, while Amy rolled her eyes.

“You're so tacky, Liam. God, I'm so embarrassed.”

Liam laughed, but his eyes remained on Mia, as if waiting for her to react. Mia just smiled shyly, feeling a whirlwind inside her. Before she could say anything, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket.

As she picked it up, her heart sank when she saw the name on the screen: Elisa.

Snorting, she ignored the call and put her phone back in her pocket. Amy arched an eyebrow.

“Aren't you going to answer it?”

“No. It's probably just my mom freaking out about something.” Mia replied, trying not to show how uncomfortable she was.

Liam frowned.

“Does she always call you at this time?”

Mia sighed.

“She always calls me. All the time. Like I'm a child who needs to be monitored twenty-four hours a day.”

Amy and Liam exchanged a look, but said nothing. They had realized a long time ago that Mia's relationship with her mother and grandparents was complicated. But Mia never went into detail about why.

Amy, trying to lighten the mood, smiled.

“Well, at least you'll be free this afternoon! No worries, just you and Liam watching a movie.”

Liam smiled sideways.

“If all goes well, I hope we don't even pay attention to the movie.”

Mia slapped him lightly on the arm, laughing, while Amy feigned a choke.

“Ugh! I'm right here, you idiot!”

The three of them laughed together, and for a moment, everything seemed normal. Everything seemed perfect. But Mia didn't know that, while she was smiling in the school corridor, something terrible had already happened. And that her life would never be the same again.