Chapter 2 - The Golden Blood
The mention of my eight-year-old daughter instantly made my blood run entirely cold.
I grabbed my wife by the shoulders and begged her to explain everything from the beginning.
Her name is Sarah, and for the first time in ten years, she looked like a complete stranger to me.
Sarah sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around herself.
She explained that she and Maya share an incredibly rare, highly coveted genetic mutation.
They possess Rh-null blood, a universally compatible type often referred to as golden blood.
Only a few dozen people on the entire planet have this specific biological anomaly.
Six months ago, a corrupt lab technician illegally sold Sarah's medical records on the dark web.
A ruthless criminal syndicate purchased the information because their dying leader desperately needed constant transfusions to survive.
They approached Sarah while she was walking Maya home from school one afternoon.
The men showed her high-resolution photographs of Maya playing in our supposedly secure backyard.
They gave her a horrifying, non-negotiable ultimatum.
She could either allow a black-market doctor to harvest a pint of her blood every single night, or they would kidnap Maya and drain her entirely.
I felt physically sick to my stomach as the horrific reality of her sacrifice washed over me.
My wife had been enduring constant, agonizing blood loss just to keep our little girl safe.
That explained the dark circles under her eyes, the long sleeves hiding her bruised veins, and her chronic exhaustion.
I pulled Sarah into a tight embrace, apologizing profusely for ever doubting her loyalty to our marriage.
I promised her that I would fix this nightmare, no matter what it took.
She shook her head frantically, warning me that these people were highly trained, untouchable mercenaries.
I ignored her warnings, my mind already calculating a desperate plan of attack.
I walked over to the discarded black case and carefully inspected the medical supplies.
I noticed a tiny, glowing green light blinking near the hinge of the metal box.
It was a highly sophisticated GPS tracking beacon.
The syndicate clearly used it to monitor the doctor's exact location during these late-night extractions.
I realized that the doctor had left his only connection to the syndicate right in our bedroom.
I quickly grabbed a pair of thick leather work gloves from my closet.
I told Sarah to pack a small bag for herself and Maya immediately.
I instructed her to take our daughter to her sister's house three towns over and wait for my call.
Sarah asked me what I was planning to do with the tracking device.
I pulled my hunting knife from my nightstand and gripped it tightly.
I told her I was going to follow the signal backward and cut the head off this poisonous snake.
Suddenly, the burner phone in the doctor's abandoned case began to ring loudly.
May you like
I stared at the glowing screen, which displayed a single, terrifying text message.
The message read that the tracker had stopped moving, so they were sending the cleanup crew to our house right now.
