The woman stared at Lynn blankly. There was no doubt about it - she was Elenor, but something about her mannerisms and overall appearance made her seem like a completely different person. Her heavy eyeliner was smeared all over her face, eyes red as if she had been crying. She twitched, taking a step back.

"W-wer bist du?" She mumbled.

The man next to her placed his palm over her shoulder, turning towards Lynn and Ava.

"Don't mind her." The man said in a smug tone. "She's been speaking gibberish ever since she got into that accident. How about you two forget about what you saw and we won't have to cause you any trouble."

"It's not gibberish, it's German." Lynn hissed, completely disregarding his warning, before turning towards his old friend. "Erinnerst du mir nicht? Was ist mit dir passiert?"

"She understands English just fine, she just can't speak it." The guy intercepted. "I'm Syd, and who might you be?"

"My name is Lynn. I'm here to talk with Edwin."

Elenor was stricken with gloom upon hearing Edwin's name. She crossed her hands, twitching and shaking. Her nails sank into the thin skin of her skinny arms, scratching viciously enough to draw blood. Her eyes nervously pointed in all directions until settling on a single spot on the ground. "Das Rot... das Rot..." she mumbled to herself.

Syd, annoyed with her ramblings, gave her an angry look before turning back to Lynn and Ava.

"And who's the girl?" Said Syd, glancing at Ava.

"None of your concern." Said Lynn, trying to keep the conversation as short as possible.

"You came to talk with Edwin you say? Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time." Syd scratched his head as if he was trying to remember who he was talking about.

"What are you trying to say? He is your leader."

"Oh, I see..." a despicable smile formed on the man's lips. "I suppose nobody told you. We have a new leader now. She is a day walker."

Lynn took a step back to process what he heard. He never thought that after all these years Edwin would step down, or perhaps he was forced to resign from his position.

A chill went down Ava's spine. Something about that last sentence filled her with unease. She could be called a day walker herself, considering she had vampiric DNA.

"Regardless. Take us to them." Said Lynn. His reason to come here wasn't to chitchat, but to get answers.

"And who are you to make demands?" Syd snickered, putting his hand in his pockets and leaning forward. "I told you two to scram. Leave before I get mad-"

Lynn grabbed the man by the neck with one hand and picked him up, leaving his legs kicking in the air as he was struggling to breathe. The vein on Syd's face was bulging with anger as he was unable to escape the grip, despite all his efforts.

"I don't like resorting to violence," Lynn said calmly. "Just do what I ask of you and we'll be on our way."

"D-don't just stand there Ella..." Syd managed to muster while gasping for air. "H-help me!"

Suddenly as if she had snapped back to her senses, Elenor looked up and dashed forward to save her partner. At the last moment, Ava pulled out her gun and shot at her, but the bullet was quickly dodged. Despite her awkward puppet-like movements, the female vampire was moving with much precision. Her long messy hair danced in the wind as she carefully avoided every single shot until the magazine was out of bullets.

Lynn threw the guy to the ground, then quickly jumped in and grabbed Elenor by the wrists before she could get to Ava.

"I don't want to fight you-" Lynn said, then felt a swift kick in the ribs. He was taken aback, not so much by the attack itself, but by the fact that his old friend didn't recognize him anymore. To her, he was simply 'the enemy' "What happened to you?" Another kick followed, which he managed to dodge this time. He didn't want to hurt her, but as the fight progressed, he was left with no choice but to knock her out.

"What's all this ruckus?!" They heard a high-pitched voice in the distance, yelling.

It was a small boy, around 6 years old. He had dark skin and two big bright yellow eyes. His little arms were crossed underneath his long white sleeves. The boy looked irritated as he started walking closer.

"What the fuck is taking you two so long? The mistress is waiting for us, guess who she is going to take it out on if we return empty-handed!" The boy shouted, looking at Syd who just managed to get back on his feet. His eyes shifted towards Ellenor and finally fixed on the man holding her by the collar of her dress, about to land his coup de grâce.

"Oh... it's you." Said the boy. "You have a lot of nerve coming 'round here after what you've done."

"Marcs?" Lynn mumbled, immediately loosening his grip on Elenor. His expression - a mixture of guilt and puzzlement.

"How long has it been? 18 years?" Said Marcus, after which he glanced at Ava. His eyes spelled indifference. "That your girlfriend?"

"Who is this child? What is he talking about, Lynn?" Asked Ava.

"I am not a child. I'm probably older than you sis." Said Marcus, walking towards her, then shifting his attention back to Lynn. "Did you tell her the reason you left us, or did you just make up a lie about how you prefer to be on your own? Will you tell her the truth or should I?"

Meanwhile, Syd and Elenor dusted themselves off as they stood beside the boy. Both put their hands behind their back as if to show respect towards their superior. It seems comical to an outside person, but they were indeed below him.

"Tell me the truth?" Ava's eyes switched back and forth between Lynn and the kid, until finally focusing on Lynn. "What did you do?"

Silence.

"He turned me into a vampire." The boy said.