The warehouse complex had been converted into something that barely resembled its industrial origins. Three buildings connected by walkways, buzzing with the kind of energy that came from forty teenagers who'd found a place to party without adult supervision.
Kaine crouched on the adjacent rooftop, watching the scene unfold through cracked skylights. The main warehouse had been transformed into an underground club—jury-rigged speakers pumping bass that made the concrete vibrate, colored lights cutting through clouds of artificial fog, and kids dancing like the world was ending tomorrow.
It should have been harmless. Stupid, maybe, but harmless.
Except for the seven heat signatures that moved wrong.
[DEATH SIGHT - THREAT ANALYSIS ACTIVE]
The vampires weren't feeding yet. They were selecting. Moving through the crowd with the patience of predators who knew their prey had nowhere to run. One of them had cornered a girl near the makeshift bar, all smiles and casual conversation while his body temperature registered several degrees below human normal.
"Shit," Kaine muttered, already moving toward the roof access. "Marcus, we've got bloodsuckers playing with their food."
The Ghoul seemingly materialized from the shadows, pale eyes fixed on the warehouse below.
"Seven confirmed," Kaine said, checking Soulrend's weight against his palm. "They're not feeding yet, but they're getting ready to lock this place down. Once they do, it's going to be a slaughter."
The descent took thirty seconds. By the time they reached the side entrance, Kaine could see the vampires beginning to position themselves at the exits. Strategic placement that would cut off escape routes when the killing started.
He kicked the door open.
The sound of splintering wood was lost in the electronic music, but several kids near the entrance turned to look. Their expressions shifted from curiosity to confusion as they took in Kaine's pale complexion and the gray-skinned creature following behind him.
"Everyone out!" Kaine shouted over the bass. "Now! Get the fuck out of here!"
The kids closest to him took a step back, more suspicious than scared. In a world where vampires were public knowledge, two pale strangers crashing their party looked like exactly the kind of threat they'd been warned about.
"Who the hell are you?" A boy with expensive sneakers and attitude to match stepped forward, trying to look tough despite being maybe seventeen years old. "This is a private party, man. You need to leave."
That's when the warehouse's main lights cut out.
Emergency lighting flickered on, casting everything in harsh red that made the dancing teenagers look like they were moving through blood. The music died with a electronic whine, leaving only the sound of confused voices and shuffling feet.
"Oh, now you've done it," one of the vampires called out, his voice carrying easily through the sudden quiet. He was standing near the main entrance, blocking the exit with casual confidence. "You've gone and spoiled our fun."
The kids weren't stupid. The moment they heard that voice—too smooth, too controlled, with an accent that belonged to someone who'd been dead for decades—they knew exactly what they were dealing with.
The screaming started immediately.
Kids stampeded toward the exits, only to find vampires waiting at every door. Steel shutters that had been concealed in the walls began descending, sealing the warehouse with the mechanical precision of a trap designed specifically for this moment.
The makeshift club had become a killing floor.
"Motherfuckers," Kaine snarled, drawing Soulrend as the nearest vampire turned its attention toward him. "Marcus, take the ones by the back exit. I'll handle these assholes."
The vampire blocking the main entrance smiled, revealing fangs that gleamed in the emergency lighting. "You know, we were planning to make this quick. Efficient. But since you've decided to play hero..."
He gestured to his companions, who began herding the terrified teenagers toward the center of the warehouse like sheep being prepared for slaughter.
"Maybe we'll take our time instead."
One of the kids—a girl who couldn't have been older than sixteen—broke away from the group and ran toward Kaine. "Please!" she gasped, grabbing his arm with shaking hands. "Please help us!"
The vampire who'd been pursuing her appeared behind her with supernatural speed, claws extended toward her throat. Kaine moved without thinking, shoving the girl aside and bringing Soulrend up in a diagonal slash that caught the bloodsucker across the chest.
The cursed blade opened him from shoulder to hip, black blood spraying across the concrete floor as the vampire's scream echoed through the warehouse. Kaine spun with the momentum of the strike, using his left elbow to drive the dying creature backward into a concrete pillar.
[MORTAL ESSENCE ABSORBED: 110 ME]
The other vampires responded immediately, abandoning their positions to converge on Kaine with coordinated precision. But Marcus was already moving through the crowd, his gray form cutting through the chaos. The Ghoul reached the vampire blocking the back exit before the bloodsucker could react, pale fingers closing around the creature's throat and lifting him off the ground.
"Impossible," the vampire choked, clawing at Marcus's grip. "What are you?"
Marcus didn't answer. He simply squeezed until the vampire's neck snapped, then tossed the body aside like discarded trash.
[MORTAL ESSENCE ABSORBED: 95 ME]
But the remaining vampires were adapting. Three of them formed a triangle around a group of teenagers, using the kids as human shields while they prepared some kind of coordinated attack. The air around them began to shimmer with supernatural energy that made Kaine's teeth ache.
"Blood magic," he muttered, recognizing the telltale signs. These weren't just fanged predators—they were like sorcerers who could turn life essence into weapons. And much like his system had pointed out by the way, they were third generations working as a unit.
The lead vampire raised his hands, and blood began seeping from the warehouse floor. The red liquid pooled around his feet, then began rising into the air in serpentine streams that hardened into spear points.
"You want to play hero?" the vampire asked, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Let's see how heroic you feel when you're drowning in blood."
The crystalline spears launched at Kaine like bullets. He dove left, rolling behind a concrete support pillar as the blood weapons shattered against the industrial structure. Chunks of concrete rained down, one piece opening a gash across his shoulder that immediately began healing.
But the vampire wasn't finished. More blood rose from the floor, from the walls, even pulling itself from the air in red mists that began coalescing into something larger. The other two vampires fed power into their leader's working, their combined will shaping the blood magic into a construct that defied natural law.
Within seconds, they'd created something that stood eight feet tall and moved like a titan. Its eyes glowed with red supernatural energy, and when it took a step forward, the concrete floor cracked under its weight.
The blood construct charged at Kaine, each footstep leaving craters in the warehouse floor. Its massive fist whistled through the air where his head had been a moment before, pulverizing the concrete pillar he'd been hiding behind.
Kaine rolled between its legs, bringing Soulrend up in a vicious slash across the creature's hamstrings. The cursed blade bit deep, sending blood cascading across the floor, but the construct kept moving. It spun with surprising speed, catching Kaine with a backhand that sent him flying into a stack of speakers.
Metal and plastic exploded around him as he hit the ground hard, tasting blood and feeling his ribs crack. The construct was already advancing for another attack, its remaining mobility hampered but not eliminated by the damage to its legs.
[HEALTH: 340/420]