Hide and Seek

Charlotte took a moment to digest the information that Vincent told her, and she fluffed her hair idly. It was odd to hear that vampires have been around for ages, yet they stemmed from humans. Maybe it was a good thing that there were no other creatures or else her life was truly in for a ride.

The car took a sharp curve, and Charlotte gripped the car door tightly, as her whole body shifted to the right. A screeching sound resounded through the forest, and Charlotte cringed as she brought her hands up to cover her ears.

She remembered the curve from when they first arrived at the mansion, and Charlotte lifted an eye at Vincent out of courtesy since she still couldn't tell if he was the bad driver or if the road was really that bad.

It was a long drive, and Charlotte ended up dozing off before waking up when they were about to enter the city walls. It wasn't heavily guarded as it used to be, but there were still many cameras that watched their every move as they entered.

The outskirts of the city were somewhat desolate yet dense at the same time with many cluttered buildings and empty streets. Judging by the amount of pushed-out garbage dumpsters, the garbage truck must have come through earlier that day.

There was no one to be found in the empty oasis except the rolling bunches of papers that flew in their path. Charlotte took in the grime and waste that lined the cobblestone streets and the lines of laundry stories high above them.

She had never actually been out that far outside the walls of the enclosed city since there was no reason for her to do so and risk her life in the making. Charlotte was definitely in the middle ring and only happened to take the backstreets of the middle ring when needed.

The back end of the circular city was notorious for the violent crime rate to be high which was rare for those who lived closer to the Millenial Center that experienced nothing of that sort. She was even daunted, but never truly dug deep enough to explore what it was like to live in the back alleyways.

There was a saying that went that when there was light in the darkness, that light would eventually get snuffed out despite carrying an individualistic sense and strength. The complete opposite was that everyone should strive to be the light in the dark, but where many shadows linger, many would confuse a shadow as a person.

Charlotte smiled at her cryptic thought that randomly popped up since she wasn't one to dwell on deep meanings that found their way around. There suddenly was a stray cat that shot out from the confines of the ledges that stuck out of the run-down buildings that served as shelters for the passers and homeless.

The car jerked to a stop to let the tiny creature scurry by, not having a care in its world. It was a distinct contradiction to where the surroundings only spoke of death, the only sign of life so far on the main road that led through the outer ring was a small cat that still had many lives to live.

It would make sense that those who lived on the outskirts of the city would live in small communities away from the main road that led through the whole city. It would be the perfect place to disappear in if need be. But it was dangerous as was secretive. Not many people were heard to live in the outer ring.

The car started up again, and she was surprised to see how the area changed as they went closer to the center. The buildings that were once dingy and uniform in color and brightness turned into a suburban living space that was comfortable for those who were of the middle class.

Many trains dominated the roads, crisscrossing high above in the air, as it was the most ideal way to travel for convenience and timing since there were very few parking spaces on ramps or along cramped streets.

She had never thought to step foot out of the life that she was born in, but it was a needed wake-up call to see the world from a different perspective. The car zipped down the mostly empty highway roads, and her knees started to jiggle, shaking in her seat.

Vincent leaned over and pressed a hand to her leg. "Why are you nervous?"

"Who wouldn't be nervous? Where are we starting?"

"I'm going to the first location that was given to me."

"It's not guaranteed that they are there, right?"

"Yes. They are likely hidden somewhere out of sight but right under our noses."

"So they are close."

Vincent nodded. "It would be ideal to split up so that we could cover more ground in less time, but I would rather not clean up your corpse."

Charlotte slid a glance over at him and decided to take it as a joke. "Hm, that would be most appreciated."

Vincent smirked over at her. "Let's play a game of hide and seek."

She cracked her knuckles. "It's on."

"We're playing against vigilantes, Charlotte."

"Well, then, they better hide well."