11:48 PM — Industrial District
Zack wasn't hunting tonight.
He was walking.
Cooling his head.
Training his control.
The air smelled like oil and wet concrete. Warehouses lined the street. No cameras in some spots. No streetlights in others.
That's when he heard it.
Laughter.
Then—
A scream.
Sharp.
Cut off halfway.
Zack turned.
Abandoned loading dock.
Half-open garage door.
He didn't think.
He moved.
Inside the Warehouse
Four men.
Human.
Early twenties.
Street crew type.
Masks half pulled down.
One of them held a gun.
Another held a girl by her jacket.
She was shaking.
"Shut up," one of them barked.
Zack stepped inside.
"Let her go."
All four turned.
The one with the gun blinked.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Last warning," Zack said calmly.
The guy laughed.
Raised the gun.
Shot.
The bullet hit Zack in the chest.
He didn't move.
They all froze.
The bullet fell to the floor.
Zack looked down at the dent forming under his shirt as steel hardened instinctively.
Then he looked back up.
"Bad choice."
Controlled Violence
He moved.
Not wild.
Not flashy.
Efficient.
First guy — wrist snapped.
Gun clattered.
Second — punch to the stomach.
Air gone.
Third rushed him with a knife.
Steel formed over Zack's forearm.
Blade scraped uselessly.
Zack elbowed him unconscious.
Fourth tried to run.
Zack grabbed him by the hoodie.
Lifted him off the ground.
"No more," Zack said quietly.
He dropped him.
All four down.
Alive.
Broken enough to remember.
He turned to the girl.
"You good?"
She nodded fast.
Terrified.
"Go home," he said.
She ran.
Zack exhaled.
Easy.
No blood.
No leveling.
Just control.
The Problem
Clapping.
Slow.
From the shadows near the garage entrance.
Zack turned sharply.
Three more people stepped out.
Not vampires.
Phones out.
Recording.
One of them smirked.
"Yo…"
"You see that?"
"He ate a bullet."
Zack's stomach dropped.
They weren't scared.
They were excited.
"You're that shiny dude," one of them said. "You went viral last week."
The guy zoomed in on Zack's chest dent healing.
"Yo, this is crazy."
Zack stepped forward slowly.
"Delete it."
The guy laughed.
"Or what?"
Zack's eyes shifted silver.
The air felt heavier.
"Delete it."
The confidence wavered.
But only slightly.
"You ain't gonna hurt us," the smirker said. "We human."
Zack stopped.
They were right.
He couldn't just break them.
That's different.
They're not predators.
They're idiots.
Different category.
He stepped closer.
Took the phone gently.
Crushed it in his palm.
The others flinched.
He dropped the broken pieces.
"Don't post about me," he said calmly.
One of them whispered,
"You can't stop the internet."
Zack looked at him.
Cold.
"Try me."
They backed up slowly.
Not fearless anymore.
But not fully afraid either.
That's dangerous.
The Fallout
2:12 AM.
Zack sat on the hospital roof again.
Scrolling.
He found it.
Not a full video.
But a blurry clip.
Already uploaded.
Caption:
"NYC got a metal vampire fr 😭😭"
30,000 views.
And climbing.
He stared at it.
Level 7.
He can fight vampires.
He can break ranked enemies.
But humans with cameras?
That's a different battlefield.
New notification flickered.
EXPOSURE RISK INCREASED
HUNTER ACTIVITY PROBABILITY RISING
Zack leaned back against the roof ledge.
"So that's how it starts."
Not by vampires.
By people.
Underground — Same Night
The Circle chamber.
The braided woman holds a tablet.
Shows the clip.
The elder watches.
"He is becoming visible."
Kael says nothing.
The elder turns to him.
"You marked him."
"Yes."
"Now he will attract hunters."
Kael nods.
"Good."
End Notification
Zack's phone vibrates.
Unknown number.
Single text:
"We saw the video.
Let's talk."
No name.
No emoji.
Just that.
End of Episode 6.