"Ugh," Lucian mumbled under his breath. The crash left Lucian disoriented and visibly shaken. He pressed his palms against the sides of his head as a splintering headache threatened to tear apart his skull.

He became consumed by a lightheaded sensation from the blood continuously rushing to his head, making it feel like it would burst at any moment.

But wait, why do I feel like this when I'm sitting upright? Isn't the roof right— Lucian's thoughts cut off when he realized it wasn't the roof of their car's interior he was staring at but rather the floor. He grimaced when it dawned on him that he was hanging upside down after their car had flipped over.

Their father groaned and asked in a voice gripped with panic, "Is everyone alright?!"

"I'm alright, just a little sore, and Luke seems okay but shaken up," Lillian responded in a shaky voice. "How's mom?" she asked with concern.

Their father glanced over at their mother only to see that her airbag had malfunctioned by not inflating, causing her head to slam into the dashboard. Blood pooled from her forehead and ran down to the floor mat. He gulped as he gazed into her lifeless eyes, "She seems alright but is just unconscious," he said, lying through his teeth.

Lucian's blood ran cold when something heavy landed on the car, causing the metal to groan under the weight. When he heard two men talking from above, he knew they weren't ordinary humans.

"Can you believe that fucker caused a scene by crashing into the car? We were only after one target, not the whole damn family," one man complained.

"Yeah, but we killed him. So, the boss will be pleased because he doesn't like having to clean up loose ends he didn't cause," the other chimed in.

Fear pumped through Lucian's veins when his father let out a blood-curdling scream. He watched in horror as his father was yanked out of the broken car window.

Lucian's mind ran a mile a minute before he boldly unbuckled his seatbelt, causing him to fall to the floor below. Ignoring the pain flowing through his body, he opened up the car door and crawled out.

"Lucian, wait! It's too dangerous," Lillian yelled, only to frown when her brother ignored her. She bravely undid her seat belt and whined when she landed on the injury on her stomach that she refused to tell their father about earlier to prevent him from freaking out. With what little strength she had, she opened the car door and moved out.

"Lucian, are you crazy? You can't go any closer. They're vampires; no one could survive jumping off that high of a bridge. We don't stand a chance against them," his sister warned while tugging his shoulder back.

"I don't care. I have to do something. Our dad needs our help," Lucian insisted while brushing away his sister's hand.

"You'd be wise to listen to your sister, kid. It's not like you can do any damage to us, even if you want to. You're not the target we're after, so it's in your best interest to either sit still or get lost," the blonde young man warned as a menacing glint flashed in his golden eyes as he gripped their father by the front of his shirt.

"Lucian, listen to your sister, and don't come any closer!" their father begged.

"Look at you trying to be a caring father. You deserve the Father of the Year award when we know you're far from that. You're the one who put them in this big mess, to begin with," the dark-haired young man sneered, a splitting image of his blonde twin brother.

"So, where are the drugs and money you stole? Oh, I'm sorry, you probably don't want your precious family to hear this. Too bad the words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them," the blonde man mocked.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about; you've mistaken me for someone else," their father denied.

"Oh really? So you're trying to tell us you have a twin brother, then? How stupid do you think we are, huh, to believe a story like that? Keep fucking around and see what happens. Tell us the damn answer already," the dark-haired man threatened.

Their father spit in the face of the man who was closest to him. "Go fuck yourself! I already told you I know nothing," he barked.

The man with blonde hair started laughing hysterically as he wiped the spit from his face with the back of his hand. "Say, Damon. How about we make things more entertaining and play a little game," he suggested.

Damon smiled devilishly. "I thought you would never ask Deuce." Quicker than the naked eye could respond, he appeared behind Lucian's sister and placed a gun against the back of her skull.

"Let's play a game of Russian roulette. Each time you refuse to answer the question, your sweet daughter will have a higher chance of getting shot. So, where did you hide the drugs and money?" Deuce asked only to smile when their father shook his head.

Click!

"Looks like she gets to live another minute. Are you really going to test your luck again?" Deuce asked as he glanced over his shoulder back at Lillian.

"Screw you and your boss!" their father screamed, only causing Deuce to chuckle.

Click!

"That's cold; look how scared she is," Damon mentioned as he gently played with a few strands of her hair with his free hand.

"I'm not telling you a damn thing!" their father hissed. Only to groan in pain when Deuce punched him square in the jaw, sending his head back slightly.

"Damn, you're stubborn as hell," Deuce said as he gripped their father's head, forcing it back into a forward position. "Well, want to tell me those magic words?"

"Go to hell!" their father yelled, still refusing to tell them a single damn thing.

Bang!

Lillian's eyes widened in shock when she was still very much alive despite hearing the gun go off right behind her. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest when their father screamed in pain as blood oozed out from his right shoulder.

"You fucker! Were you really going to let your daughter take the hit for you? Was your wife paying the price for what you did not enough? It's terrible that a vampire from a gang is teaching you about morals," Deuce growled before kicking their father in the stomach, snatching the air from his lungs.

"Damon, I'm done with this piece of shit. Get rid of him, 'cause I have a lot of cleaning up to do," Deuce stated as he walked away from Lillian and Lucian's father.

Lillian and Lucian watched in horror as their father was dragged off by the back of his shirt by Damon into the darkness. Their father's cries of pain eventually died down into pure silence.

"Lucian, you have to run now while they're distracted. There won't be a second chance," Lillian whispered in his ear so the vampires wouldn't hear her.

"B-but I can't leave without you, sis," Lucian said as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Please don't argue with me this once and go. Also, whatever you hear, don't turn back," Lillian said with a smile.

Lucian nodded his head before running into the darkness without a single clue where he was going.

******

"Damn it! The kid ran off," Deuce grumbled as he gritted his teeth. He was about to bolt in the direction Lucian went before he halted when Lillian stood in his path.

"Don't think for a second that I'll let you hurt my brother!" Lillian said with a look of determination in her eyes.

"Wow, I don't know whether I should call you stupid or brave for standing up to a vampire," Deuce said as his golden eyes stared into her soul.

Lillian was about to open her mouth before blood spilled out of it when she coughed harshly.

"Now, I get why you're being so bold. You reek strongly of blood, and something tells me you have an internal injury. You probably don't have much time left," Deuce claimed as he walked even closer to her.

"Let me help you," Deuce said with a grin. He extended his hand toward her, causing tears to well up in her eyes.

******

Lucian's chest heaved in and out as he continued running without stopping. His lungs were on fire, begging for any form of relief. He eventually collapsed harshly to the ground when his legs could no longer carry him.

Lucian cried out in frustration. His entire body felt numb, and regardless of how hard he tried to move, he couldn't. Tears fell from his eyes, damping the soil below.

The poor boy had lost everything dear to him within the blink of an eye.

The world around Lucian started to darken and spin around in a dizzying blur. He weakly glanced up when he heard footsteps in front of him. He only saw a bit of white clothing. He tried to stay awake as much as he could, but against his control, he faded off into the darkness. Left at the mercy of whoever was in front of him.