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We drove for six days straight, only stopping for bathroom breaks and tank refills.

"We're almost there." Maria said.

It was already dark and there was no sign of the city.

"Why did you decide to trust me?" Maria asked.

"It wasn't you I decided to trust. It was my instincts I wanted to listen to." I said. "I've always had my doubts about what Adam said when I woke up with no memories of everything."

"It was wrong of him to lie. But I kind of understand why he did it." Her statement surprised me. "He just wanted to protect you."

"I guess so. But now, I want to remember everything. I figured going back to where I came from would help with that."

"What if the truth you seek is dark and bloody? Are you still willing to regain them?"

I thought for a moment. "Yes."

We arrived at the capital at late night. The streets were almost deserted.

"Is this really the capital? Why does it seem like a ghost town?"

"There's a curfew. A lot of low-level vampires had been appearing and attacking people lately."

"That's awful. Have they found who've been turning them?"

She hesitated for a bit. "The Church. The low-level vampires are the failed experiments."

"What do you mean? You have to give me a more detailed explanation."

"I will. But for now, pull over. We have to walk around quietly before the Elites catch us."

"The Elites? Who are they?"

"The vampires who were tasked to patrol the city during curfew hours. We can't be found, especially you." She said. The warning was clear in her voice.

"Me? Why?"

"Let's not ask questions for now. Wear the face mask and pull up your hood. Let's go."

We got out of the car and walked through dark alleys. It looked like the marketplace.

"Come on. This way."

I obediently followed her around the maze-like city. We stopped beside an old decrepit building which looked like it was in the verge of collapsing. Maria pulled a ladder down.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" A man in dark clothes shouted.

"Darn. Run!" Maria shouted.

We ran quickly, away from the man chasing us. He was fast. We found ourselves playing tag with a vampire. It was a good thing Maria was quick-witted and good at hiding.

"You stay here. I'll distract them. When it's all quiet, follow that path." She said nodding towards the small dark alley to the right. "Follow it to the end. Then turn right and knock on the twelfth building door. Tell him Maria sent you."

"Okay. But what about you? What if they catch you? Why not just go together?"

"I'll buy you time to escape, and then I'll catch up to you. I'm not completely a vampire, but I'm not completely useless either. I survived all those years of experiments, I'll be fine." She gave me a smile.

She went out into the night without making any noise. I heard some rustle and swift footsteps in a distance. Then it became extremely quiet. I held my breath. I felt like even breathing would make the loudest noise and I'd get caught. I took a deep breath and slowly entered the dark alley. I walked cautiously. I kept looking back behind me. I couldn't help it. I was in foreign territory. I was extremely anxious. Drops of sweat were racing down my face. Luckily, nothing happened so far. Nobody was there. It was just me and my beating heart. I took the right turn and counted the houses as I pass by them. One, two, three… I was almost there. Then, something caught my attention. It was a bulletin board filled with posters. It wasn't the poster of a market sale two days away or the notice that curfew hours were modified that caught my attention. Among all those bright posters was an old faded one. I slowly approached it, my heart pounding frantically. I stared at the face plastered on that wanted sign. It was mine. I stared at it more, trying to understand. I was a fugitive.

It couldn't be. I was bewildered. I kept asking in my mind whether it was the reason Adam took me away. I was criminal? Was I a bad person? Then I remembered what Maria said. We burned down a laboratory and killed everyone in it. Then, why would Maria ask me for help? Was she a criminal too? The questions came flooding and I felt like vomiting. I was too shocked, my mind was going blank. Then, out of nowhere, a pair of big strong hands grabbed me from behind.

"Let me go! I said, let me go!" The man pushed me to the floor. My face hit the hard cement and I felt the pain on my left cheek. "Who are you? What do you want from me?" The man said nothing.

The room was dark and only a single light bulb was lit in the middle. There were five red chairs lined in one side. There were a few other people in the room. They were all as scared as I was. Curfew violators, I thought. I actually got caught. I looked around despite the dark, trying to find Maria. She wasn't there. It was a relief. I would have been swallowed by guilt if she had gotten caught too. There was silence in the room. Nobody dared talk, not with all the vampires around. Then the door opened and more vampires came in. Five of the vampires sat on the chairs. They didn't look like thugs. They looked like high officials. There was something vaguely familiar about them.

The arrested people were made to stand in the light and interviewed one by one. They asked about the name, address, and the reason why they were on the streets. I started to panic. I didn't know what I was supposed to say. All I knew was that I screwed up. It was over. My turn came and one of the big vampires grabbed me by the collar. Instinctively, I tried to break free. I punched and kicked at the vampire despite knowing it wouldn't hurt him. The vampire got annoyed and slapped me hard to the ground.

"Easy. Let's all be civil." One of the five vampires spoke with a gentle voice.

"She started it. It was annoying." The big brawny vampire defended.

"Even so. Don't do that again." Despite the gentle honey voice, his warning sent shivers down my spine.

I kept my head down and just listened to their exchange. The vampire approached me. "Are you alright?"

I didn't answer him. I just kept my head down, afraid they'd recognize me from those wanted posters.

"We need you to answer a few questions." Another vampire said. His voice was icy. I didn't say anything. "What is your name? Where do you live and why were you out on the streets? Where were you headed?"

I still kept my mouth shut. That moment I just prayed that the ground would swallow me whole.

"He just asked you questions. Why aren't you answering them?" Another vampire spoke. I still couldn't say anything. I didn't know how to respond. I kept my head down. "Are you deaf?"

I heard a chair move and saw one of the vampires walking towards me. "This is getting irritating. Just answer our questions!" Then he grabbed me by the collar.

My hood fell and the light illuminated my face. I saw the shock in his eyes as recognition hit him. "Krista?"