The convoy sits on the abandoned gas station. Dark and quiet, lights out, engines off.

  A soft breeze pushing through the station, a whisper between empty gas pumps. Melissa and Alexander stepping inside. Their boots crunching on broken glass. A few lanterns illuminating the small shop as they escort a third man to a chair opposite of DTO Bernardi. The newcomer is pale, gaunt, wrapped in a long coat, too large for his thin frame. His blue eyes shine in the light of the lanterns. A vampire. But he is not posturing for power or vanity. He looks afraid.

  “A brave man, showing up like this” Bernardi opens but the vampire lets out a sad chuckle. “bravery had nothing to do with it. Guilt did it.” his voice is shaking and his eyes seem hunted, hollow. Melissa studies him, his aura closed of to her but her perception power makes it easy for her to hear the subtle clues from him. There is no deceit... only broken, guilt ridden honesty. “You said you had information. About the Concord.” she prods him. “Yes” he says nodding “about what they become” his voice is trembling as he looks at Bernardi. “they dont just conquer. They feed” he pulls an USB drive out of his pocket and pushes it over the table to Bernardi who hands it to a technician a moment later images appear on a tablet on the table, dozens of them. Rows of humans strung upside down. Tubes connecting them to machines, their bodies pale as wax. There are children amongst the victims. Industrial equipment working in the background of the Photos, clinical, efficient.

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  “They call them Bloodfarms. Cities converted in to supply chains, draining the population slowly...” he swallows hard, his voice breaking as he his eyes focus on scenes never to be forgotten “they keep alive for days and weeks... studying how much life they can drain before the soul breaks” he looks away as the auras in the room grow hostile, anger flaring but he continues “they still try to find ways to use them further, when they are broken... but I don't know how.” Melissa clenches her fists and Alexander goes still, face unreadable. “Suffering as a weapon” he whispers and the Vampire nods “Why tell us? You know they will kill you for coming to us?” Melissa asks from behind. And he shakes his head “I'm old you know, nearly a century. I have seen this happen before. The camps, the cruelty. I was a coward then.” he shakes his head harder “not again... never again!” She makes a step closer reaches out, compassion in her eyes but he shrinks away “save your pity for the living. They will need it more than I.” he gets a second drive out and slides it over the table “coordinates, maps and all I know about security. Near Genoa. The first blood farm on Italian soil.

  Bernardi Pockets the drive “we will check it out.” he says with a heavy nod “you will die there” the vampire says “Yeah. But we'll make someone else die first” Alexander growls, his normally jolly and playful personality lost in the grim reality of the situation.

  Melissa and Alexander lead the vampire away watching how he enters one of the armored vehicles. The convoy slowly getting ready to move again. Melissa stands beside Alexander, looking north in the direction of Genoa. “Europe is bleeding... and we're running out of bandages”