"Never hunt humans."
A pair of glowing red eyes stared down from atop a towering metal power pole.
"Only sin deserves to be hunted."
The voice was deep and unnatural.
The figure raised a small vial to his lips and swallowed the last drops of the red liquid.
"Haah..."
Then—
KRAAAK!
Lightning tore across the night sky.
In the middle of the rain-soaked road, someone stood motionless.
His long coat whipped violently in the storm.
And straight ahead...
A truck was barreling toward him at nearly one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour.
The red glow in his eyes intensified.
"It’s time."
Inside the truck, the driver glanced at the man beside him.
"You counted everything, right?"
A sly smile appeared on the passenger’s face.
"Don’t worry, boss. All twelve crates are here."
Suddenly—
Ring! Ring!
A phone began to vibrate.
Without taking his eyes off the road, the driver said, "Put it on speaker."
The passenger answered and held the phone near the driver’s ear.
"Hello, sir."
An irritated voice came through the speaker.
"How much longer?"
"The rain has made the road slippery, sir. We had to slow down."
"I didn’t spend millions of Beta to listen to excuses. I paid twenty percent above market price for that merchandise."
"We’re almost there, sir. Just give us a little more time."
"You have ten minutes."
"I want the merchandise in my hands."
The call ended.
The driver said nothing.
He pressed harder on the accelerator.
The engine roared as the truck pushed deeper into the storm.
After a moment, the passenger clicked his tongue.
"That manager talks like he’s the king of the world."
The driver gave a dry laugh.
"That’s his job."
"He hides behind the minister’s influence and barks at everyone like a damn dog."
Only the rain and the faint sound of the radio filled the cabin.
Then the passenger suddenly asked,
"Boss... ever tried Hevix?"
The driver burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Have you lost your mind?"
"Even if I sold both my kidneys, I couldn’t afford two pills."
The truck continued through the curtain of rain.
Beyond the windshield, the road had almost disappeared into darkness.
Then—
The passenger’s eyes widened.
"Hey!"
"There’s someone standing in the road!"
He leaned toward the window and shouted,
"Move!"
"Get off the road!"
His expression suddenly changed.
"Brake!"
The driver tightened both hands around the steering wheel.
"No."
"We can’t stop now."
"I’ll steer around him... otherwise we’ll hit him."
"We only have ten minutes."
A few seconds passed.
Then the driver cursed under his breath.
"Damn it..."
"I have to brake!"
SKREEEECH!
The tires screamed against the rain-slick road.
HONK! HONK! HONK!
But the boy didn’t move.
His long coat lashed wildly in the storm.
His back was turned toward the truck.
The driver stared in disbelief.
"Damn!"
"I’ve lost control!"
The truck swerved violently.
"Hold on!"
The driver fought the steering wheel, but the truck refused to respond.
It was too late.
BOOM!
The truck slammed into a massive tree beside the road.
The windshield shattered.
Smoke began rising from beneath the crushed hood.
For several seconds, the only sound was the rain.
The passenger groaned and held his head.
"Ah..."
"What happened?"
"Everything’s blurry..."
He grabbed the driver’s shoulder and shook him.
"Hey! Wake up!"
The driver slowly opened his eyes.
"Ugh..."
He touched the side of his neck and pulled his hand back.
There was blood on his fingers.
"My neck..."
"I’m bleeding."
The passenger gritted his teeth.
"Come on. Get out."
"We’re finding that bastard."
The two men climbed out of the wrecked truck.
Under the headlights, rain streaked through the darkness, reflecting off shattered glass scattered across the road.
Then...
They saw him.
The same boy.
He was still standing exactly where they had seen him before.
He hadn’t moved an inch.
"There he is."
The passenger pulled out a pistol.
"That bastard blocked the road."
The driver grabbed a shotgun from inside the truck.
Rain poured around them as they slowly approached the stranger from both sides.
The driver loaded the shotgun.
"Hey."
"What the hell is your problem?"
No answer.
The boy remained completely still.
The passenger stepped closer and raised his pistol.
"What?"
"Did you lose your tongue?"
"Say something."
"Are you police..."
"Or are you looking to die?"
Silence.
The boy didn’t move.
The driver’s patience ran out.
"Hands up."
"And don’t try anything stupid."
The boy slowly raised both hands.
"Now turn around."
"Quickly."
"You’ve already wasted enough of our time."
The driver stepped forward and swung the butt of the shotgun toward the boy’s neck.
"Take this!"
THUD!
The blow never landed.
The boy caught the shotgun with one hand.
The driver’s eyes widened.
"What...?"
A deep, inhuman growl came from the boy’s throat.
"Grrrrrr..."
The air seemed to change.
With one effortless shove—
BOOM!
The driver was thrown several meters backward and crashed into the muddy roadside.
"AAAGH!"
The boy slowly turned.
The passenger froze.
The color drained from his face.
"No..."
"Those eyes..."
Two glowing red eyes stared directly at him.
Sharp teeth showed beneath the boy’s lips.
The passenger’s hand trembled around his pistol.
"You..."
"You’re not human."
The driver struggled back to his feet.
"Who..."
"Who are you?"
The boy didn’t answer.
He simply took one step forward.
Tap.
The sound echoed through the rain.
The passenger’s fear finally broke through.
"Shoot him!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three bullets tore through the storm.
The boy calmly tilted his head.
The first bullet missed as he shifted to the side.
The second passed through empty air as he turned his body slightly.
The third flew past his shoulder.
Not one touched him.
The driver’s face went pale.
"Impossible..."
"At this range..."
"He dodged every shot..."
Without a trace of fear, the boy brushed his rain-soaked hair behind his ear.
A long, pointed ear slowly became visible.
Then—
KRAAAK!
Lightning split the sky.
For a brief instant, the boy’s face was illuminated.
Red eyes.
Sharp teeth.
And a cold, terrifying smile.
The two smugglers stood frozen.
Their anger had vanished.
Only fear remained.
The driver’s finger trembled against the trigger.
"Shoot him!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
More bullets flew through the rain.
But the red-eyed boy seemed to know exactly where each bullet would go.
A slight tilt of his head.
One step to the side.
A small twist of his body.
Every shot missed.
The driver’s breathing became heavier.
"How...?"
"How is this possible?"
"This..."
"This isn’t human."
The boy covered his mouth with one hand.
Then he laughed.
"Ha..."
"Ha..."
"Hahaha..."
The eerie laughter echoed through the storm.
The passenger’s trembling fingers finally loosened.
Clang.
His pistol fell onto the wet road.
"B-Boss..."
"The bullets aren’t working!"
"We have to run!"
The driver gritted his teeth.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Pick up your gun!"
"We still have to deliver the merchandise!"
The passenger shook his head.
"Only if we survive!"
"That thing..."
"That thing isn’t human!"
"I’m getting out of here!"
He turned and ran into the darkness.
Two steps.
Three.
Then—
A freezing hand closed around his wrist.
"Huh?!"
His entire body froze.
Slowly, he turned his head.
The red-eyed boy was standing behind him.
There had been no footsteps.
No warning.
It was as if he had simply appeared from the darkness.
The passenger immediately dropped his weapon.
"I surrender!"
"Please..."
"Let us go!"
The boy ignored his pleas.
He simply raised one hand.
The truck keys suddenly flew from the man’s pocket, pulled by an invisible force.
They floated through the rain and dropped neatly into the boy’s waiting palm.
Without saying a word, he grabbed the man’s wrist and dragged him toward the truck.
"AAAH!"
"Please!"
"Let go of me!"
The driver watched in horror.
Slowly, he began backing away.
Then—
He suddenly turned and ran.
He barely made it a few steps before a freezing hand closed around his throat.
"Ghk!"
His body went rigid.
The boy looked toward the blood running down the driver’s neck.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Fresh..."
"Blood."
His tongue briefly touched one of his sharp teeth.
The driver’s eyes filled with fear.
"What..."
"What do you want from us?"
Instead of answering, the boy placed a strange metal container into his trembling hands.
The driver stared at it in confusion.
"W-What is this for?"
"Open it."
"Put your hand inside."
"And don’t take it out until I tell you."
Long, sharp claws slowly extended from the boy’s fingertips.
"Otherwise..."
"You’ll lose the hand."
Both men trembled.
They obeyed without another word.
A cruel smile appeared on the boy’s face.
The sharp claw pierced the driver’s palm.
"AAAGH!"
A small amount of fresh blood dripped into the metal container.
The man clenched his teeth, trying to endure the fear.
The red-eyed boy slowly turned his gaze toward him.
"Don’t move."
"No..."
"Please..."
"Why are you doing this to us?"
The boy stepped closer.
He gently placed one finger against the man’s forehead and slowly dragged it downward.
A chilling smile spread across his face.
"Because..."
"You committed sins..."
"Sins that deserve a punishment worse than death."
The man’s pupils shrank.
His breathing stopped for a moment.
Then—
CRACK!
The next morning, the television news reported a strange incident on the outskirts of the city.
Two drug smugglers had been found restrained beside an abandoned road.
Twelve crates of Hevix had been recovered with them.
Witnesses claimed that a mysterious vigilante known only as "Unknown Z" was responsible.
Beside the crates, investigators discovered a handwritten note.
It contained only one sentence:
"The sins they chose have been judged."
No one knew who Unknown Z was.
No one knew where he came from.
But one thing was certain—
That night, something had entered the city’s darkness.
And for the first time in a long time...
The darkness had learned to be afraid.