6:14 AM — Hospital Lobby
Zack hadn't slept.
He sat beside his mother's bed, watching the rise and fall of her chest.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Nurses moved.
Monitors beeped.
Morning sun leaked through the blinds.
But something felt wrong.
Not supernatural.
Subtle.
He stepped into the hallway.
Paused.
Listened.
Nothing unusual.
Still—
He couldn't shake it.
The First Sign
As he left the hospital for coffee—
He noticed a white van parked across the street.
Plain.
Unmarked.
Engine off.
He walked past it casually.
Didn't look inside.
But he heard it.
Muted breathing.
Two people.
Still.
Watching.
He kept walking.
Didn't react.
Didn't sprint.
Control.
Rooftop — Later
Zack stood alone, pretending to stretch.
He focused.
Closed his eyes.
Scanned.
Across the street.
Two floors up.
Camera lens.
Not hospital security.
Different angle.
Different timing.
He shifted slightly.
The lens adjusted with him.
Confirmation.
He didn't panic.
He turned away slowly.
Went back inside.
Inside the Van
Two people sat inside.
Black tactical clothing.
No insignia.
One woman.
One man.
Headsets in.
Tablet screens displaying thermal scans.
The man spoke quietly.
"Target confirms bullet resistance."
The woman nodded.
"Regenerative delay observed. He's controlling it."
The man zoomed in on footage from the parking garage.
"Combat style evolving."
The woman tapped the screen.
"Do not engage yet."
"Why?"
"Because he doesn't know we're here."
Silence.
"We map behavior first."
Zack Tests Them
That night—
Zack left the hospital suddenly.
No pattern.
No usual route.
He cut through side streets.
Turned corners unpredictably.
Stopped abruptly behind a brick wall.
Waited.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Then—
A faint footstep.
Too careful.
Zack didn't move.
The footstep stopped too.
He smirked slightly.
Good.
They're disciplined.
He jumped upward.
Three-story climb in seconds.
Landed on a rooftop.
Looked down.
A shadow moved below.
Human.
Following.
Not vampire.
Not fast enough.
But persistent.
Hunter POV
The woman from the van looked up calmly.
"He's aware," she said.
The man adjusted his rifle.
"Permission to tag?"
"Negative."
She pulled out a small device.
Activated it.
A faint pulse emitted.
Zack's vision flickered for half a second.
System reacted instantly.
SIGNAL INTERFERENCE DETECTED
UNKNOWN TECHNOLOGY
Zack's heart rate increased.
That wasn't magic.
That was tech.
He leapt to the next building.
Then another.
The signal weakened.
Then disappeared.
Rooftop — Silence
Zack stood alone now.
Breathing steady.
They weren't attacking.
They were testing.
Measuring.
He felt something new.
Not fear.
Strategy.
If they're studying him—
He studies back.
Late Night — Hospital Room
His mother stirred slightly.
"You look tense," she whispered.
He forced a relaxed expression.
"Just tired."
She smiled faintly.
"You don't have to protect the whole world."
He didn't answer.
Because that's exactly what it felt like.
Hunter Debrief — Undisclosed Location
The woman removed her headset.
"Conclusion?"
The man answered.
"He's learning too fast."
She nodded.
"Good."
"Good?"
"Yes."
She looked at the screen.
"Fast learners make clean subjects."
Pause.
"We proceed to Phase Two."
Final Notification
As Zack stared at the skyline—
A new system message appeared.
PREDATOR STATUS SHIFT
YOU ARE NOW ALSO PREY
He smiled slightly.
"Good."
End of Episode 9.