ARC 1 – CHAPTER 1
BLOOD IN THE ALLEY
CHAPTER 1 – PART 1
Rain Doesn't Wash Away Blood
The rain fell hard, drowning the city in noise—but it couldn't silence the scream.
Kai Vexley stopped at the mouth of the alley, hood pulled low, sneakers soaked through. Neon lights flickered behind him. Ahead, darkness swallowed everything.
Three men.
One girl.
The girl was on the ground, hands shaking, blood soaking into cracked concrete. One man laughed. Another loaded his gun slowly, enjoying the moment.
Something moved beneath Kai's skin.
Let me out.
Kai's jaw tightened.
"Not yet."
He stepped forward.
The first man noticed him and sneered.
"Wrong alley, kid."
The gun came up.
The shot came first.
The man's head snapped back, body collapsing before the echo finished.
Silence.
Then panic.
The second man fired wildly. Kai moved—low, fast, precise. The bullet grazed his shoulder.
It didn't hurt.
Kai didn't stop.
CHAPTER 1 – PART 2
Close, Fast, Violent
Kai was already inside the second man's reach.
The pistol clicked empty. Kai dropped it, drew his knife, and slammed the man into the wall. One clean slash across the throat. Blood sprayed warm against Kai's cheek.
The third man ran.
Kai let him run.
The bio-organism twisted eagerly under his skin, veins darkening, muscles tightening.
Hunt.
Kai chased.
The man tripped near the alley exit. He turned, screaming, crawling backward.
Kai stood over him, breathing steady.
"Please—"
Kai fired once.
The body went still.
The rain washed over the blood, but not the smell.
Kai stood alone.
CHAPTER 1 – PART 3
The Birth of a Rumor
The girl stared at him, eyes wide with terror.
He turned toward her. Black veins crawled briefly along his hands before retreating under his skin.
She backed away.
"W-what are you?" she whispered.
Kai pulled his hood tighter.
"A bad memory," he said.
He vanished into the rain.
By morning, police would find three bodies and no fingerprints.
By nightfall, criminals would start whispering.
A kid.
A monster.
A vigilante who didn't bleed.
And somewhere deep inside Kai's chest, the bio-organism smiled.
They see us now.
—END OF CHAPTER 1—