Author's Note: this chapter contains a lot of graphic depictions of violence.
Daniela Dimitrescu was not a skilled warrior.
She never mastered the 'art' of butchering humans - for it was an art, according to Cassandra and ruefully acknowledged as such by Bela. The skill and force needed to enact swift kills, or else the precision and patience that was required to prolong one's suffering - none of it was Daniela's forte. Whenever she happened to spill the life-blood of a human, it was invariably a messy affair that earned mockery from Cassandra, silent scorn from Bela and scoldings from Alcina - who so hated having her expensive carpets soiled.
Daniela Dimitrescu was not a cold-blooded murderer.
She never derived sadistic joy from the act of life-taking, unlike her dear sister Cassandra. Nor could she perform the vile deed with mechanical detachment like her eldest, Bela. For Daniela, every single kill was done either out of sick, twisted love - back when she was deluding herself into believing that her victims were happy to be slain by her; or bestial, mindless rage - which she would regret deeply, come morning.
Daniela Dimitrescu was not a vigilant protector.
For as long as she could remember, her family had always provided for her, while sheltering her from the outside world. Long ago, when Miranda had barged in, demanding the Dimitrescu family to assist her in her vile research, it was Bela who was chosen to aid Alcina in housing the Priestess' many 'subjects' - to be replaced by Cassandra, later on. When vengeful villagers stormed their castle for their due; when delusional adventurers or covetous treasure seekers trespassed upon their land; when an errant maid needed to be made an example of - it was always either Cassandra or Bela who stepped up to the task. Never Daniela, not the precious little Dani, who was allowed to sit every calamity out in her library - her tiny island of solace in a world of chaos.
For decades, Daniela did not need to be the warrior, the murderer and the protector, for her capable sisters were only too happy to shield her from the darkest side of their existence.
Yet times have changed and Bela and Cassandra could no longer carry the burden of their sinful ways by themselves. Likewise, Daniela could no longer simply sit it out.
Unfortunately, when it counted the most, Daniela was not ready to step up. When the human mercenaries came for them in Cuba, Daniela was as helpless as a newborn babe and her weakness had cost them greatly. If not for Cassandra, it would've cost them everything.
It will be different today… I swear it.
As her sentient swarm made its way down the dilapidated stairway and through the squalid hallways, Daniela found herself determined to do one thing she never really cared about before. To finally step out from the tall shadows cast by her older sisters and share the heavy burden that came with the name Dimitrescu. She had not been ready in Cuba. She was ready now.
To be the warrior, the murderer, the protector.
Not out of some misguided sense of praise-seeking or desire to inflict harm, but out of necessity, Daniela was ready to lay waste to any who dared to threaten House Dimitrescu or its allies.
Just like Cassandra had taught her.
Show no mercy, for they will show none.
Just like Bela had taught her.
Do not hesitate - there will be time for remorse after the deed is done.
It did not take Daniela long to make her way to just outside the underground parking lot - indeed the swiftness of her bug-swarm would've made even the finest parkour athlete green with envy.
There, in the stairway hall that separated the lot from the rest of the building was a huddling group of blurry humans. Unfortunately, while her swarm form conferred an extraordinary level of mobility and dexterity - especially in twisting confines of a building, the insect sight was lacking in its finer detail vision. Therefore, another shapeshift was in order - to be able to tell friend from foe.
From a cloud of black chitin and beating wings, came the unmistakable shape of Daniela Dimitrescu. Several gasps of shock and yelps of fright accompanied her coalescence, followed by a trio of gun-barrels swirling to point her way.
The noble scion was still dressed in her two-piece gray suit, though it was both torn and bloodied. The pride and joy of her fashion sense - the vibrant yellow tie - was nowhere to be found, as it was discarded by her insects, deemed no longer relevant. Likewise, not a speck of her typical cheer or carefree nature could be found in Daniela's tense posture and grim face, with even her lips - ordinarily relaxed in a friendly smile - now dead set in a thin, mirthless line.
At being the focus of an apparent act of aggression, Daniela's mouth twisted into a vicious snarl. With her mood as dark and set on violence as it currently was, she found herself prepared to carve her way even through these people - people she had come to know in the last three days, if it came to that.
"Hold fire! That's Dani! She is with us!"
Catherine's voice was enough to prevent a potential friendly fire incident and all three agents at her side lowered their firearms; Daniela, likewise, relaxed her clenched fists and took in the forms of her allies, such as they were.
Catherine herself was a familiar face, since the B.S.A.A. medic was attached to Daniela's own team - the Delta Squad. In addition to training together, the two women had spent some time bonding over a cup of coffee - or ten - with Daniela being completely enchanted by Catherine's tales of far-away lands, as the veteran agent had traveled much both before and after her employment with the counter-bioterrorism organization.
The three men at her side were less known to Daniela, since they were from the FBI reserve force and she had a minimal amount of interaction with them, barring one notable exception. The redhead was pretty sure that one of them - the tall blonde man with strong Nordic features - referred to her and her sisters as 'goddamn freaks', when they passed him by, yesterday. Silly human thought they couldn't hear him - or maybe he just didn't care. Regardless, it took both Daniela and Bela restraining Cassandra from 'teaching him a lesson in manners' right then and there.
Daniela couldn't help but smirk at this once cocky and arrogant man, who was all but shaking in his boots now, with his eyes wide as saucers in near-panic. Fear was positively radiating off his frame - only serving to invigorate the predator that hid within Daniela - eager to be let loose.
"What's the matter? Scared?"
The mocking question left Daniela's lips on its own volition. Under ordinary circumstances, she would've surprised herself at the level of sarcastic vitriol in her voice. But the scent of death and violence was thick in the air, psyching the vampire up and bringing out the darkest out of her.
"These fucking Bloodfang bastards got a bomb there!" The response came swiftly from the Nordic man, and before Daniela could inquire why they were just standing there, the second FBI agent provided the explanation for the unvoiced question.
"We tried to push them back, but they've got the numbers and there is just no passing this killzone they've established…"
"Adam and Chen are gone…" added the third agent, in a tone that was filled with both sorrow and resignation. The man was bleeding profusely from a wound in his arm and it was clear that he didn't expect to walk out of here in one piece.
Catherine - who was applying first aid to his arm - said nothing further, but Daniela didn't miss the hopeful glance the brunette woman shot her way. At least someone believed in her.
"Guess it's up to a goddamn freak to handle this mess! Hilarious." Daniela's easy tone was betrayed by her piercing eyes, directed at the blonde man - who was not able to withstand the intensity of her gaze and turned to stare at the bloodied floor. While a certain childish part of her mind wanted to milk this situation for all it was worth, the more responsible aspect of Daniela knew that time was of the essence, so she let out a swift instruction, instead, "I'll clean 'em up, but I hope one of you can disarm this bomb!"
Catherine nodded her head, and that was all the confirmation Daniela needed. Not wasting a second further, the vampiric girl morphed back into her swarm form, evoking another shocked gasp from one of the men.
Understandably not wanting to test her adversary's killzone, Daniela fluttered inside the parking lot as a thin swarm of blowflies. While she was not as proficient in directing her insects as was Bela, Daniela's hivemind was still coherent enough for her bugs to spread out - not presenting enough of a target for the enemy to immediately open fire.
Now inside the parking lot, she could spot the blurry figures of black-clad humans - who were taking cover behind cars and pillars. There were around a dozen enemy combatants, according to Daniela's swift headcount. The closest one soon became aware of her unnatural presence - pointing her way, and yelling, "The fuck is this?"
She would've smiled, if she had a mouth in that instance of time. The bloodlust that was radiating from her other self was infectious, it seemed.
It's finally your time! Come out and play.
The beast within did not need to be told twice. With its cage wide open and its leash held loose, it pounced out of its ethereal prison and assumed control of their shared, chimeric body. Daniela did not resist its intrusion - just like she did not during the confrontation with Styx the assassin. She welcomed it in, for the monster that inhabited her body since her unnatural birth was a far more prolific killer than she could ever hope to be. A reprehensible quality under most circumstances, but today - when speed of execution was paramount - a boon, which she would ruefully accept.
Now the violence could start in earnest.
Ceasing control for Daniela herself felt as if she dove underwater and now observed the world around her through a misty prism - with sights, smells and noise muffled to the point of appearing dreamlike.
Like a lucid dream for her… and a soon-to-be waking nightmare for her enemies.
Under control of a primeval being that only knew rage and hunger, her swarm moved to cluster tightly together, becoming a swirling vortex of black chitin and buzzing wings - a truly demonic sight, if the humans' gasps of fright were any indication.
The vortex of insects fluttered further inside the lot, only to menacingly hover right in the middle of it - surrounded by humans on all sides, and with a bulky device of some kind - likely the bomb itself - underneath it.
Suddenly, Daniela - from her aquatic-like prison - found herself all too aware of the twelve rapidly beating hearts.
Uncertainty. Confusion. Fear.
It was all plain for Daniela to sense, even through their body-concealing attire - from the rapid heartbeats and tense postures alone.
These humans did not come here to face a being such as her. Unfortunate for them, since Daniela was just as aware of growing, gnawing hunger that resonated all across her hivemind, with every single blowfly that made up her superorganism being famished for man-flesh. They haven't had a taste for a while.
Nevertheless, for whatever reason, the dark being that now controlled Daniela's amorphous superorganism did not hurry to make the first move; likewise - the humans appeared mesmerized and merely observed the unnatural swarm.
What are you waiting for..?
The reason for the creature's stalling became apparent as one of the humans apparently couldn't take the tension anymore and let loose with his automatic firearm.
As if the creature was an overwhelmed patron next to an extravagant buffet, it had been momentarily lost in selecting the first item to sample. The foolish man-thing with a loose trigger finger made the creature's choice an easy one.
Like the rest of her senses, the painful feeling of having her swarm members permanently severed from the hivemind due to their untimely termination was somewhat dulled by the prismatic barrier. Yet Daniela still felt the sting of death… and the rage that followed along. Was it her own rage? Or purely the reflection of the frothing anger the creature felt? She couldn't tell. Perhaps it was one and the same all along.
Regardless, the creature waited no longer. Like a blur, the swarm was upon that singular human. His heartbeat quickened immediately and the man was not shy enough to let out a muffled scream - a plea for aid, even as he flailed his arms around in a fruitless bid to drive the enraged insects away. Fortunately for him, the full-body hazmat suit he was wearing provided enough protection to render even Daniela's flesh-eating insects impotent.
Unfortunately for him, however, it did not hinder the creature that soon emerged from the swarm in the slightest.
Even though Daniela's silhouette and certain features - such as her mane of red hair - was clearly apparent amidst the buzzing swarm, the way it flickered around the assembled insects made it hard to identify as even remotely humanoid. Indeed, not a single observer to this mind-boggling transformation - neither the aggressors nor the security personnel, who observed the scene through lens of ceiling-mounted cameras - could precisely identify where the feral-looking red headed woman ended and the vicious bug-monster began.
Does a cat lose sleep over the worries of how a mouse perceives it, however? Naturally, the dark creature itself could not care less about how it appeared to its food. Not when the rushing blood it so desired was right there - underneath the black fabric of the hazmat suit and a layer of skin - both so easy to pierce to get at the intoxicating liquid held within.
Its hunger was denied for long enough. No more.
Following the torso, from the mass of black chitin, came lithe but shockingly powerful and frightfully solid arms - only to coil around the hapless human, holding him tight and preventing any attempts at escaping his imminent fate. A gaping maw, filled with sharp teeth, opened wide to let loose a savage, deafening shriek. The primal screech was so powerful that several closest humans clutched at their ears in obvious pain; multiple car alarms were triggered, while the nearest one's windshield shattered outright.
The cacophony of noise was just a prelude to the bloody spectacle about to unfold.
When the 'Viy' crew had volunteered for a rushed mission to bomb this target of opportunity, they had expected to face some second-rate B.S.A.A. and FBI agents - desk jockeys, who could barely hold their standard issue firearms, much less provide a meaningful resistance to a band of hardened killers such as themselves.
Initially, the Bloodfang men were proven correct in their assumptions, as the first response to their incursion consisted of just six government agents who were soundly beaten back after suffering two casualties and being able to inflict none in return.
Now, however…?
Paralyzed by its banshee-like screech, the eleven experienced guerilla fighters could only stare aghast, as an unidentifiable creature of black chitin, pale flesh and red hair had their comrade - young, brash and trigger-happy Ajay - in its monstrous grasp. Vaguely feminine, the creature exuded nothing but lethal intent and unfathomable appetite for destruction, chilling the blood even in veteran combatants' veins.
Before any of Ajay's compatriots could recover from her sonic assault, the monstrous bug-woman's natural weaponry was upon her prey. The first savage bite pierced the hardened textiles with contemptible ease, but had yet to spill blood.
Spitting the bothersome fabric away, the beast was ready for her much-anticipated meal to begin. Not wasting a single moment further, the monster sunk her teeth deep into the man's exposed neck. As if edged on by unfathomable, inhuman hunger, the beast chomped on the mauled neck with savage glee, with blood and spittle flying in every direction. Mortally wounded, Ajay's cries of agony morphed into a death rattle, which was met with his compatriots' yelps of dismay as they beheld his unenviable fate.
The beast was utterly apathetic to all the distress caused by her actions - her only current concern seemingly being as filling her belly full of man-flesh and man-blood, which was gushing freely from the horrid wound - creating a pressurized fountain of sanguine ichor that swiftly colored them both red.
Several precious seconds passed as the dying man's comrades dumbly stared at the grisly feast, with their muscles seemingly frozen by the bestial savagery that was put on display.
Soon enough, however, the squad leader of 'Viy' - with the only visible identifying feature that set him apart from his black-clad underlings being a single red wristband on his left hand, managed to break out of his stupor and shout in accented English, "SHOOT HER, YOU MORONS!"
With their composure seemingly restored by the leader's authoritative voice, the fear-induced trance was broken. To their credit, none of them hesitated at opening fire at this monstrous woman, even though their squadmate was all but entangled with her. Some of them realized that he was as good as dead anyway, while others placed little value on each other's lives to begin with - regardless, soon both the man-eating monster and her unwitting dinner date were peppered by lead.
Unfortunately for the Bloodfang, out of the entangled duo that was made up out of one of their own and the monstrous beast, only Ajay's body was torn apart by the hail of gunfire. To their unbridled horror, the bug-woman's flickering body suffered limited harm from the fast-moving projectiles, with only a cluster of insects perishing in the initial burst and the rest dispersing apart before vanishing from sight - implying that even the seemingly savage beast knew better than to subject itself to a sustained barrage. Death of a thousand cuts was not on the menu for it today… only man-flesh and man-blood.
As the ruined corpse of the Bloodfang fighter tumbled to the ground without a speck of life left in it, the rest of the humans ceased fire, only to gaze around in near-panic, since their actual target was nowhere to be seen.
"Where the hell is she!?" Fearfully inquired Namir - the closest Bloodfang to the mangled body of his deceased comrade - while swinging his automatic shotgun around wildly.
The answer to the man's question was delivered in the most direct and brutal way possible, as hundreds of flies swarmed from underneath the black sedan the Bloodfang fighter used as cover, only to coalesce into the now-familiar humanoid figure.
"Behind you!" tried to warn his comrade - the keen-eyed Alexei - yet the warning came too late and before the bug monster's second victim could so much as turn his head around, a flash of steel heralded another life being snuffed out.
With her dagger embedded deep into Namir's skull, death came mercifully swift to the man. Again, the roar of automatic gunfire found its mark in nothing but their own fellow squadmate, whose lifeless body promptly collapsed on the cold floor, as the rest frantically attempted to exterminate this fearsome creature that was now hellbent on hunting them down… one by one.
The Bloodfang leader was not blind to his subordinate's rising panic. "Get away from the cars!" The command was heeded too late, as Farhad was claimed in an excruciatingly painful way. Before the crew's sole medic could even make a step away from a gray Mazda he used as cover, a swarm of bugs - coming from underneath the vehicle - engulfed the young man in a sea of chitin. Just like before, the insects came together to coalesce into the partial form of the redheaded woman, who then unceremoniously slammed his head against the car's hood.
Such was the force in the monstrous woman's slim-looking arms that the devastating impact resulted in the car's hood suffering a head-shaped indentation that reached all the way to the engine. For the man himself - an instantaneous death as his own shattered cranium pierced the brain in spots too numerous for continued existence.
The grisly display was met by gasps of mortal fear, followed by sporadic, inaccurate gunfire that met only air as the creature was gone already.
Pointing his customized assault rifle towards the monster's last known location, Jonas couldn't keep his mouth shut, "Holy fuck! What is this thing!?"
The Bloodfang soldier's last question was left unanswered, as the pillar he hid behind betrayed him to the swarming silhouette. To his credit, Jonas was a veteran fighter that has survived many skirmishes and with barely human reaction speed was able to avoid the gnashing teeth that aimed at his throat. With a swift leap backwards, the experienced combatant brought his assault rifle up - fully intent to make use of its underbarrel grenade launcher, regardless of his own grim fate that would surely follow such a foolhardy attack. If he could slay this monster, his remaining comrades would be able to accomplish their goal - his life was a small price to pay.
Regardless, his attempt at going out in a blaze of glory was cut short… as was his right arm. The man had less than a second to register the sudden lack of an appendage he was born and lived his whole life with before the same farming tool that sliced it off - in an unbelievably swift slash - also made its mark on his throat - a deep, indubiously mortal gash, that left the man gurgling with darkness clouding his sight.
Collapsing on his knees and desperately attempting to stem the fatal bleeding with his sole remaining arms, Jonas was blind to the fact that the monster lost all interest in him and dashed over and under a small minivan - only to brutally gut the crew's sharpshooter Alexei with her cruel sickle. With his own life-blood rapidly leaving his mortal shell, Jonas was apathetic to the fact that the simple farming tool, wielded with inhuman strength, was able to easily cut through the kevlar vest Alexei wore, forcing the man to his knees as he desperately tried to stuff his intestines back where they belonged, to no avail. Even though he had promised to always take care of the younger man, the incessant ringing in his ears made Jonas deaf to Alexei dying gasps. Soon, darkness claimed them both.
Seeing his men cut down left and right by this unknowable, seemingly indestructible monstrosity made even the battle-hardened leader gulp in fright. Yet Serj had sworn a blood-oath to see this mission through and he would be damned if some bug-whore stopped them. They only needed to buy three more minutes and this whole building would be filled with concentrated C-Virus.
He was not blind to the fact that they would not last this long at this rate… not even close. With all the cars and pillars providing cover and potential avenues of attack to this inhumanly fast creature, this parking lot was swiftly becoming a slaughterhouse.
"Fall back to VDU and form a circle!"
While few would refer to Bloodfang militia as professional military, they were well-drilled in obeying their betters since their inductions into the group - from ages as young as six for some of them. Therefore, Serj was not surprised when every remaining soldier heeded his command immediately and rushed to assume the position around the Viral Dispersal Unit that was deployed in the middle of the lot - with plenty of open space that was their best chance at deterring this superhuman predator.
The bulky device in question was something that was produced by their own, less-than-stellar, engineers and it took precious time for the machine to boil the C-Virus from its exacting safe storage temperature to optimal dispersal one.
The squad leader's satisfaction at seeing five out six of his remaining men making it to the device was cut short by witnessing the inevitable fate of the last one. The man who was his brother - not by birth, but by circumstances of their harsh, unforgiving lives - made a mistake and attempted to make his way to the safe haven, provided by their circle, in the most direct way possible - around a white pickup truck.
Keen-eyed, Serj was not blind to several blowflies inconspicuously fluttering around the vehicle in question, but his warning came too late. "Marko, wai.." - Marko had already fallen face-first onto the cold floor, courtesy of the wicked sickle being hooked into the back of his right knee.
Too dazed to resist, but lucid enough to scream for help, "Serj, help!", the young man was, nevertheless, dragged right underneath the truck by the monstrous force, with Serj only able to stare aghast as his brother-like figure vanished under the vehicle, until only his grasping hands, begging for salvation, remained visible.
It took all of Serj's willpower to resist the impulse to rush to the aid of Marko. Instead the leader merely reached his own open palm in a feeble gesture of helplessness. He was sure that the horrific chomping sound, immediately followed by a tortured scream and accompanied by the sight of spurting, pressurized blood coloring the pavement crimson, would haunt him for the rest of his days, regardless of how soon that could be.
Marko's hand twitched one more time, then it moved no more.
Serj felt maddening rage clouding his senses, the kind he hasn't felt since the day his hometown in Penamstan was ravaged by clandestine, American-produced bioweapons.
Many joined Bloodfang out of desire to reshape the world in the image preached by their numerous shadowy deacons, but him and Marko? They just wanted to give back to the world that took everything from them. To watch it all burn. It was all too easy for them to volunteer for the mysterious man's offer of New York City as their next target, especially considering his generous donation of C-Virus and corrupt officials' contacts. And now some vile bug-bitch put a definitive end to Marko's dream to see these bastards get what they deserved for himself.
Growling in frothing rage, Serj briefly contemplated reaching for his C-Virus derived serum. 'Hellfire' strain - it was, once upon a time, mass-produced by The Connections, only to be found too 'dangerous' and 'unreliable' even by the likes of Edonian rebels, and instead found its way to the Bloodfang stores, years later. Its injection all but guaranteed the most agonizing death possible for the user, yet its immediate combat benefits were undeniable, therefore it was issued by the Bloodfang to its squad leaders, to be used as a last resort weapon.
Calming down by reminding himself that he still had living men under his command, Serj grabbed a 40mm launcher from Damian - the crew's demolition expert - with a "give me that!" and lobbed an incendiary grenade right at the truck with no hesitation. Marko did always want to be cremated.
His hopes of putting an end to this monstrous stalker were dashed aside fast enough, however, and Serj could only grind his teeth in silent rage as his keen eyes spotted the accursed swarm dashing away from the car a millisecond before the inferno bloomed all around it. That bug-monster was still alive and, once again, hiding somewhere in this accursed parking lot - that looked more and more like their final resting place with each passing second.
Gazing around wildly, Serj was sweating like a waterfall in his form-fitting hazmat suit, both from the heat and the rage that burned within him at the sight of Marko's demise.
Still, his gambit has paid off it seemed - no further attacks from the monster occurred in the next fifteen seconds as his men arranged themselves into a circle, without any blindspots, around the VDU, allowing the squad leader a moment to catch his breath and recover his wits.
Serj did peg this creature as a stalking predator type - eager to pounce upon his men while they were spread around, but now clearly hesitating to try and take them on directly, without any cover concealing her approach.
Glancing around at his five remaining men, the squad leader could plainly see that they were more than a little unnerved by the slaughter committed upon their fellow Bloodfang. None of them were prepared to face something like this bestial creature. He was not blind to the fact that it would not take much more to completely shatter the remaining soldiers' morale and send them into a panicked rout - which would indubiously prove fatal, considering the ruthless nature of their foe.
"Stand fast, my brothers! Soon, the victory will be ours!" Serj knew that his own voice betrayed his inner turmoil, but it was his job as the squad leader to at least attempt to raise their waning spirits. The truth of his statement, however, was enough to embolden the man himself. As long as that monster kept hiding, they could still complete the mission… and that's really all that mattered, at the end of the day.
Whoosh!
Serj felt searing agony radiating from his forearm; the force of the attack caused him to let go of the precious grenade launcher. Glancing down at his limb, he was shocked to discover a fresh wound - bleeding from an ordinary kinetic impact, like that of a bullet. Shock soon gave way to mortification, as Serj realized that in this brutal skirmish with this man-eating monster, he all but forgot about the squad of FBI agents they've beaten back previously.
And now… out in the open they were simple targets for the emboldened agents, while if they were to seek cover behind cars and pillars, they would be easy prey for the monstrous beast that stalked them. This is what the phrase 'between a rock and a hard place' truly meant, it seemed.
"Suppressive fire, now! Hold your ground!"
Barking out a swift command, the leader clutched at his arm, while trying to put some suppressive fire with his sidearm upon the stairway hall opening. Still, to his minor satisfaction, a well-placed shot from Jacob's FN-FAL saw one of the government minions fall upon the pavement, clutching at his abdomen. Jacob was not counted among the best shots in the Bloodfang for nothing, after all.
The satisfaction of a successful hit was short-lived, however, as Damian tumbled to the ground, dead before he even hit it, courtesy of a bullet lodged right between his eyes. The FBI were hardly pushovers themselves, after all.
That was finally enough to shatter the squads' waning morale, and the viral specialist Jung-Hoon yelled out, "Screw this shit!" before breaking their formation and rushing towards the surface access.
"Stand your ground, you fool!" Desperately tried Serj, knowing full well that to flee now would only invite inglorious doom. No way that creature would let any of them walk away - he just knew that.
And he was proven correct, as Jung-Hoon could barely make ten steps before a blurry shadow was upon him, fangs bared. The piercing scream of agony, as the cowardly Bloodfang's flesh was torn apart by her sharp teeth and sharper yet sickle, was enough to induce full-fledged panic in the three remaining soldiers and Serj realized that the fight was lost… unless…
His fingers reached for the serum that could still turn the tides around - at the cost of his life. However, the man underestimated the dizziness caused by the penetrating wound he had just suffered, and his trembling digits allowed the precious vial to fall to the ground, which sent it into a roll away from him, under a black Infiniti.
Cursing everything in existence and breaking formation himself, the man fell on all fours in a desperate gambit to reach his last hope, even if he had to crawl to it, even if he heard the dying screams of his remaining men behind him - as the beast finally felt bold enough to take their dwindling numbers head on. There was Jacob's high-pitched last yelp, implying that his end was mercifully swift and Sadiki's deeper baritone, full of anguish.
It took him several seconds to crawl his way to the vial, which thankfully stopped its roll upon colliding with a wheel of the Infiniti. These seconds saw both the screams and the gunfire cease, indicating that the fight was truly over, as a matter of fact.
"Please, no! I surrender! Just let me…gah!"
Serj could only silently mock Dimitri's feeble cries for mercy. As if this feral creature was familiar with the concept. As if they ever showed it themselves. At least the monstrous munching noise that followed implied that the beast would keep herself busy feasting upon the poor fool.
Further driving the point home, a menacing growling suddenly came from behind, followed by a vicious sound of torn flesh and a jet of crimson liquid splattering against the lenses of his suit.
Serj could vividly picture that monstrosity's gnashing teeth ravaging Dimitri's neck in its wicked desire to let as much blood flow out as possible - the imagery chilling his own blood. The knowledge that he likely only had mere seconds before the creature would turn its gaze his way threatened to constrict his muscles in fright.
Ajay, Namir, Farhad, Jonas, Alexei, Marko, Damian, Jung-Hoon, Jacob, Dimitri and Sadiki. All dead. Serj couldn't believe it - only a few days ago they were sitting around a campfire, exchanging tall tales and boasts of victories to come - and now, they were all gone, just like that, in a matter of minutes. The nefarious 'Viy' crew, slaughtered to the last man.
Anger and rage, however, are one hell of an anesthetic and Serj did not waste a single second in extracting the syringe and plunging it right into his wrist.
"This is for Marko, you bitch."
Daniela felt sick to her stomach as she observed the actions committed by her own hands, with her own eyes. The blurry prism that separated her from reality was now colored dark red.
The fight with Styx notwithstanding, whenever the creature that lived within Daniela took over before, it had a peculiar side effect of Daniela herself falling into a deep slumber, from which she would later wake up, surrounded by blood and death. The benefits of such happenstance were obvious - even if Daniela's hands were soaked in blood, she remembered nothing and could lie to herself about everything not really being her fault. She could pretend.
Now, though? Now, she experienced everything firsthand - there was no room for pretense anymore. Every single kill made by her savage twin, Daniela was there on the first row, to drink in every gory detail. The sheer brutality and callousness was simply staggering, the total disregard for life - overwhelming. To the creature, these humans were nothing but mice to play around with, only to slaughter and feast upon them at its convenience.
That's not even mentioning the incredible strength and speed the creature seemed to confer upon its host. Daniela could all but feel the energizing mold burning in her veins; the staggering efficiency of converting the unnatural cells into raw power that then flooded her muscles was mind-boggling - it went far above and beyond what she could normally muster.
She could understand now the fear she saw in Cassandra's eyes, one time when the older sibling attempted to wrangle her feral twin by force - only to be brushed aside. When Daniela had woken up the next day, seemingly so long ago, it was in Alcina's gentle arms; with bruised form Cassandra glaring at her with both spite and a measure of fear plain in her amber eyes.
The blood-soaked past, however, appeared inconsequential in the face of a horrifying present. In a span of mere minutes, she slaughtered a dozen men with inhuman brutality. Even if these were the so-called 'bad guys' who wanted to hurt her first, it was hard to consider it all a proper application of self-defense, since she was covered in blood and viscera from head to toe. The last standing man even tried to plead for his life, only for his suffering to be prolonged, as the monster was all too eager to feast upon the living blood that coursed through his veins - his agony was inconsequential.
And while the resolution was what Daniela wanted all along - the complete neutralization of all the humans who were threatening her family and friends - the redhead couldn't help but feel the gnawing hatred growing in her heart. Hatred for herself and her unnatural, monstrous existence.
As her dark twin callously feasted upon the unfortunate human who had attempted to surrender, Daniela almost wished that someone would show up and put a definitive end to her atrocious self.
Barely able to pierce the gloom of self-loathing, in her peripheral vision, Daniela could spot one last living human, crawling away - and she was aware that the vicious beast saw him, as well. A delicious morsel, awaiting its turn.
The errant thought horrified Daniela to her very core. It felt alien, yet also as invariably her own. Was the beast taking over completely now? She could not allow that to happen.
That's enough! You've had enough! Go back to your cage!
The monster that wore Daniela's skin merely growled in response, before savagely tearing a bloody chunk out of the neck it feasted upon. The pressurized blood spurted in every direction. Daniela had long since lost count how many layers of blood now covered her skin, not that she cared at this point.
It did not want to go back.
Suddenly, the noise of footsteps forced the beast to discard its kill. Swiftly swirling around, Daniela stared at the familiar silhouette of Catherine, who was approaching the bulky device - and the blood-soaked vampire standing next to it - with cautious steps. Unarmed, the woman walked forward slowly, with her hands raised in a placating gesture. The redhead was utterly shocked by the woman's bravery. Even thought Catherine saw the inhuman brutality of Daniela's feral side, she still risked her literal life and limb to do her job - to disarm that bomb that threatened all of them.
Regardless, the first instinct Daniela felt was to rip and tear. It felt like her own, even. Sweet woman blood, to go along with all the sourness.
No! Catherine is a friend! A FRIEND! Don't you dare harm her!
At first, Daniela was sure that the beast would ignore her and pounce upon the B.S.A.A. agent. A minuscule part of her even wanted it to do that - out of her wicked curiosity to find out how exactly would Catherine taste.
But, whether from the strength of her conviction, or from the resonance of that particular term, it held back. Instead of slaughtering Catherine right then and there, it merely gazed at her, while chewing some flesh - no doubt disturbing even the experienced field agent with the gruesome display, which was only further enhanced by the angrily buzzing insects that still swarmed around the redhead. With her gray suit all but in tatters and blood - fresh and long-dried, alike, as well as loose viscera, covering her from head to toe, Daniela was a fearsome sight indeed.
Terrified out of her mind internally, Catherine gulped, but seeing no signs of aggression from this savage monster - who was a sweet girl that laughed at her stupid jokes yesterday, proceeded to the viral bomb. There was no escaping her fate, whatever it was, and the agent was all too aware of that fact.
At her destination, somewhat emboldened by her continued existence and clearly trying her best to ignore the piercing gaze that tracked her every move, Catherine set to work on disarming the device that was set to go off any second now. Good thing she had attended that extra bomb disposal training session…
In turn, observing her work quietly, Daniela could only hope that Catherine knew what she was doing. Swallowing the morsel that once made up someone's neck, the bone-chilling sound of munching finally ceased, a fact Catherine was visibly happy about. Contrasting the previous cacophony of mayhem, the next moments were spent in morbid, tense silence.
With no further incentives for violence, steadily, Daniela saw the misty veil that clouded her senses dissipating, with control returning to her limbs.
Seems like the beast has had its fill, after all, and with the lack of continued hostilities and Daniela reasserting her spot as the dominant presence in their unnatural bond - it retreated deeper into their shared psyche, eager for a slumber of its own, perhaps. Likewise, most of her bugs have melded back into her flesh, with only a few still circling overhead.
Experimentally flexing her fingers, Daniela was satisfied to see that she was once again fully in control of her own body. Perhaps this waking nightmare was over, at last, though she would not forget this dreadful experience. Even if she could not see the faces of those she had slain, surely their screams would haunt her for many years to come. Still, just like she always did, Daniela attempted to focus on the brighter spots of the blood-soaked canvas that was her existence.
These people had it coming, didn't they? We won, didn't we? Mama, Rosie, Tom are safe… that's all that matters…
"How's it going?"
The simple question, delivered in a voice that betrayed Daniela's raw throat, was intended to calm Catherine, to reassure her that Daniela was still her friend. It had the opposite effect, it seemed, as Catherine visibly jumped in spot, before leveling her gaze at Daniela. The fear in it hurt more than Daniela cared to admit. Monster, it all but screamed at her.
Unable to hold Catherine's gaze and hearing no response, Daniela turned around - just in time to see one of the previously-dispatched humans standing up. The one that was crawling away - the one she had all but forgotten about. Her grasp on her trusty sickle tightened, but not out of the desire to hurt. She didn't want to hurt anyone anymore. She had hurt enough people to last her a lifetime… several, in fact.
Maybe he will just surrender? Please, just surrender!
Even though she couldn't see his eyes through the dark lens of his hazmat suit's headgear, she could feel the scalding gaze. It told the redhead that the man in question was not quite ready to give up. That despite his whole frame shuddering and his breath being labored, he still had some fight left in him. A desire for vengeance for his slain comrades, perhaps? Looking closer, Daniela had to discard that line of thought, as a number of peculiarities about that man became quite glaring to her keen eyes.
Firstly, his bulk appeared a size or two too large for his hazmat suit, which was bulging all over his frame - unnaturally so, as if his whole frame suddenly bloated, or something. Secondly, the blood that was seeping from his arm injury had an usual coloration - bright orange, almost yellow and what's more, it almost appeared as if the liquid was exuding smoke, as if it was boiling hot.
Fully on guard, but still not giving up hope on the possibility of resolving this conflict peacefully, Daniela stood still and awaited the next move of this strange man. He appeared unarmed, after all…
"It's done, the bomb is disarmed…"
Catherine reassurance brought the measure of comfort to Daniela, as at least they managed to disarm the C-Virus bomb that threatened everyone within this building… What happened next was enough to shatter any illusions of safety the redhead harbored, however.
The strange man let loose a piercing roar which seemingly contained both the unspeakable rage and indescribable agony.
"Get away from him, Dani!"
Daniela did not need to be told twice. Heeding her friend, while mentally exulting in the fact that Catherine still cared about her - even after seeing her at her worst, Daniela leapt backwards from the man, and just in time, as his whole hazmat suit disintegrated in an instant and his very skin blazed with blinding flash. A heatwave-like phenomenon radiated from the man a millisecond later, bathing Daniela in scorching air and incinerating every stray insect that had yet to return to the safety that her combined biomass provided.
Showcasing her experience in combating bioterror-related threats, Catherine did not hesitate to unholster her sidearm and fire a trio of shots, centermass, into this monstrous human, yet whatever unnatural power fueled his transformation must have also conferred an incredible level of resilience, since the fiery creature merely took a step back from the impacts, appearing none the worse for wear.
Before Daniela could recover from her shock at seeing a seemingly ordinary human transform into a fiery humanoid abomination, the man was upon her, swinging his fist in a devastating haymaker, while letting out a monstrous roar. Dodging the attack just barely, Daniela felt the searing heat singing her own skin, merely from being close to this man. It hurt to the point of tears.
Undaunted by his first attack missing its mark, the fiery man launched into a ferocious onslaught - focused purely on Daniela, while completely ignoring Catherine, who kept taking ineffective potshots at his simmering frame. In turn, Daniela found herself entirely on the defensive, as not only she was too weary to transform into her swarm-shape, but she was also aware of the fact that her insects were particularly vulnerable to extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold.
Sidestepping from a particularly raging blow that saw his fiery fist impact a pillar, Daniela found herself gaping wide as a large chunk of stone was broken from the column. Even at her strongest, she would've been eclipsed by the raw power this strange man possessed.
Still, as strong and resilient he was, Daniela herself was one agile ladybug. Even without her swarm form, the redhead weaved and dodged around his telegraphed attacks with relative ease.
Unfortunately, it seemed that her continuous avoidance of his strikes only served to enrage the mutated man further. Moreover, it appeared that the man's fury somehow served to fuel the molten furnace that burned within his mutated heart and the angrier he got - so did the temperature radiating off him increased to reach a nearly unbearable degree.
Daniela knew that she needed to use her wits to win this one, not just her brawn.
I wish Bela was here! I bet she would've bested this guy in no time at all!
But Bela was not here, and even her inner beast had retreated into the depth of her psyche - the primal being apparently being afflicted by an appropriately primal fear - fire.
Weaving and dodging every ferocious swipe, the best Daniela could come up with was a particularly agile sidestep that resulted in her appearing behind her opponent. Not thinking twice about the opportunity presented to her, the redhead slammed her sickle home into his back - right where a human heart would be.
His simmering flesh gave way to the steel of her sickle easily enough, yet instead of suffering a mortal wound, the fiery mutant merely roared in truly demonic voice, with the color of his skin changing from dark red to orange; an according increase in temperature following along.
Unable to withstand the heat anymore, the redhead leapt backwards, only to stare as her trusty sickle - that faithfully served her for decades - and which was still embedded in the man's back, literally melted.
Having suffered her attack and eager to return the favor, the swiftly-recovered mutant tore the nearest car's door and, without hesitation, hurled it Daniela's way, with enough speed and precision that only her last moment's tumble saw her head still attached to her neck.
Quickly getting up again, Daniela could only grit her teeth at the fact of her helplessness in the face of this implacable foe. Her mind drew a complete blank on how she could even theoretically defeat this mutated freak. Even merely approaching it was out of the question, much less landing a telling blow.
"Dani, lure him next to that red Chevy!"
Daniela had no idea what a 'Chevy' was, but after taking a frantic glance around the lot, she saw only one red car. Not having a concrete plan of her own, it was a no-brainer for the youngest Dimitrescu to follow her friend's command, even if she had no clue what Catherine had planned. She could only hope that the B.S.A.A. operative knew what she was doing, since it appeared that not only was the creature exuding more and more warmth with each passing second, but its whole frame seemed to bloat to the point where Daniela would not be too surprised to see it actually explode.
"You want me so badly, huh? Well, can't really blame you - everybody wants a piece of lil' ol' Daniela! Come and get me, then!" Daniela yelled even as she danced her way to the aforementioned car, before opening her arms wide - mockingly inviting the creature to take its best shot at her.
The taunt was simplistic, and perhaps completely unnecessary, since the creature appeared fixated on her anyway and was eager to stomp right after her, regardless of where she went. It did not appear to be coherent enough to recognize obvious baits and perhaps the gift of comprehension has left its fused brain altogether, with only primal desire for destruction left in it.
Still, Daniela could just barely tumble out of the maddened charge the creature performed in a bid to close the gap between them. Poor Chevy was not as fortunate, and the fiery monstrosity impacted it right into the driver's door. The whole vehicle bounced on its wheels, almost tipping over, before settling back on its spot, with the mangled door landing some distance away; the metal of its warped carcass groaning in protest all the while. If she was some side-observer to this bullfighting performance, Daniela would surely bemoan the beautiful car's fate; as things were, Daniela could only huff and puff as she struggled to catch her breath, while trying to regain her footing. Even her mold-enhanced muscular and circulatory system were at their limit.
Fortunately for the kneeling redhead, so eager was the creature to crush Daniela in its mad charge, that the force of its own impact dazed it, providing the precious moment needed for Catherine to enact her plan. Not waiting for the monster to recover, the B.S.A.A. agent opened rapid fire with her sidearm - not at the creature itself but at the ceiling right above it.
Confused, Daniela opened her mouth to let out a word of protest, but before she could do so, a veritable stream of water came crashing down upon the mutant. Only then did the redhead note a fat pipe running its way through the ceiling, now generously dousing the fiery creature in liquid.
To Daniela's shock, however, instead of dousing the flames, the water seemed to only intensify them, with the creature changing its hue to a blinding white, bathing the kneeling Dimitrescu in heatwave that singed her brows and threatened to set her own hair on fire.
But before Daniela could bemoan her misfortune, the monster doubled over, as if in pain, while letting loose a horrifying, agony-filled shriek.
Unknowingly to Daniela, even though the water was unable to douse the unnatural flames, it did its job well enough in destabilizing the already-unstable chemical reactions that were running amok through the man who had injected himself with the black market serum. Unable to handle the strain, the burn-out process was accelerated and in mere seconds the fearsome monstrosity that imperiled Daniela was reduced to a pile of ash.
"Huh… Well, that was… easy?"
Not that Daniela wanted to look a gift horse in the mouth, but she did not expect the nigh-unstoppable-looking monster to go down like that. Wincing in pain as her sore muscles cried out in protest, the redhead finally managed to get back to her feet.
"I think that was a C-Virus derived HF-strain." Catherine's answer only caused Daniela to turn around and gaze at the agent while experimentally touching her eyebrows, and wincing again upon finding out that she didn't have them anymore.
Clearing her throat as she reminded herself that she was not dealing with an experienced anti-B.O.W. operative, Catherine provided a brief explanation, "An experimental serum that was deemed too unstable and defective to be mass-produced, but some desperate elements still got their hands on the original stock… like this guy, I guess."
Upon hearing that, a pang of pity prickled at Daniela's heart and she gazed at the pile of ash with a measure of sadness in her expressive amber eyes. Even though this man and his cohorts were her enemies - who wanted to hurt her and her friends - she still felt bad about the agonizing end he had to suffer.
How desperate one has to be to inject himself with something as horrible as this thing… he couldn't have had an easy life, could he..?
A moment of silence passed, but it didn't last, as Daniela felt like lifting the gloomy mood with a genuine comment, even despite the inner turmoil boiling within her.
"We work well, together, don't we, Cathi?"
At that, Catherine locked her harsh brown eyes with Daniela's hopeful amber ones. Somehow, the redhead felt the scrutinizing gaze piercing all the way down to her soul, beholding all of her bloody deeds and unforgivable sins. Breaking the eye contact first, the youngest Dimitrescu was prepared to receive the condemnation she knew she deserved. Freak. Murderer. Monster.
"We do, Dani." Daniela lifted her gaze once again, in astonishment, only to be met with a tense, but genuine smile. "I need a fucking vacation after all this, though."
The truth of that statement forced the chipper redhead to let out a mirthful laugh, before nodding her head and consenting. "A vacation sounds nice! Somewhere sunny! A nice, little beach, perhaps?"
Catherine nodded along, "I'd kill to be on a beach right about now."
The happy moment of reforged and tempered friendship did not last, either.
The noise of screeching wheels was soon followed by a crash, as a large, armored car smashed its way through the underground parking lot's grating gates, only to drive further in, with two passengers disembarking quickly and leveling their guns at Daniela and Catherine - with the former immediately standing protectively in front of the latter.
"Run! I'll cover you!" whispered Daniela, even though she knew that her drained body lacked the strength for yet another fight. She could barely stand, truth to be told.
"I am not leaving you like that, Dani." whispered back Catherine, before adding in a hopeful tone, "Trevor should be back soon with anyone who can hold a gun."
Scoffing at her friend's foolhardiness, Daniela took a moment to inspect the two men that pointed their guns at her. A far-cry from the hazmat-equipped soldiers whose mauled corpses littered the ground, these two instilled terror in Daniela's heart with their mere looks.
Futuristic-looking black armor, with splotches of red and white. Hockey mask-like headgear, with lenses burning with malefic orange. Advanced weaponry that meant business.
The same freaks that hounded them in Mauritania and France - the Replica Troopers; and these two looked even deadlier than any Daniela had seen before.
Surprisingly, the Replica merely held the two women at gunpoint and did not engage them immediately, and Daniela soon knew why. Two more passengers got out of their armored car, one of whom made the redhead's dark blood boil in her veins. Apprehension gave way to anger soon enough.
Mia Winters. That horrible bitch of a woman who had kidnapped her mother, only to run unconscionable experiments on her. Wife of dearest Ethan, who had attempted to execute her own husband in cold blood, once he refused to join in on her wicked schemes in his incomprehensible desire to protect the Dimitrescu family.
Daniela wanted to do nothing but to tear her apart with her bare hands. Even the beast within her let out a growl. In turn, Mia gazed at her with mild surprise that bordered on disinterest, only further agitating the redhead.
"Calm down, Dani…"
Catherine must have noted the redhead's tense posture, as her calming whisper were followed by her hand squeezing Daniela's own, somewhat soothing the enraged Dimitrescu daughter. The experienced agent knew well how deadly these Replica Elite were.
After measuring each other with pointed glares, the tall man that accompanied Mia decided to break the silence with a particularly annoyed tone. Somehow, it struck Daniela as glaringly arrogant and the redhead couldn't help but note that Mia chose her company well - the conceited bastard made a fine pair with the traitorous snake.
"Interesting. You little bug-whores are far more resilient than I gave you credit for. I admit, I never expected you to make it this far and to pester me even at this critical junction."
Daniela couldn't decide if she wanted to grin at the compliment or to snarl at the insult, so she produced an annoyed scowl, instead.
Just who is this human thinks he is? Cassandra would've had a field day with him…
With a shocking air of nonchalance that betrayed his ruthless nature, the tall man proceeded to slowly gaze around the lot, momentarily stopping his eyes on each mangled corpse - that were all over the place.
"It's so hard to find good help these days…"
The man sounded like he had stepped into a puddle and not like twelve of his men were lying dead at his feet. The displayed callousness made Daniela really consider which one out of two of them she hated the most.
Before anyone could say anything else, another car followed the path of the first, with its passengers disembarking as well. Unlike the passengers of the first car, however, these four looked just like the soldiers Daniela had dispatched earlier - generic in their dark, form-fitting hazmat suits. Letting out gasps of dismay as they beheld their slain compatriots, three of them immediately followed the Replica's lead and aimed their guns at Daniela and Catherine, but the fourth held back and simply stared right at Daniela. Not paying the faceless goons any mind beyond a passing glance, Daniela had her attention transfixed upon the vile pair she wanted to choke with her bare hands.
"Enough wasting time with this rabble, Fettel." Mia spoke in a tone that betrayed her displeasure, even as she fiddled with some kind of a device, "I am reading Sarah's vitals coming from the 6th floor of this building."
Hearing that, Daniela felt a chill of raw terror creeping down her spine. They knew exactly where Sarah was… and that meant they knew exactly where her Mother was.
The tall man let out a mean snicker, "Indeed. Our true prize awaits… your beloved daughter…" he paused, only to gaze right into Daniela's eyes, and the empathic girl was taken aback by the sheer brutality she could sense residing inside of him, even before he pronounced his dreaded destination, "...and our dearest Lady Alcina Dimitrescu."
As exhausted as she was, Daniela knew full well that she was no match against them. The incredible power and agility of her darkest side came with a cost - rapid depletion of mold cells that enriched her blood. And while the vast quantities of human blood and flesh she had engorged herself upon would see it replenished soon enough, even her hyper metabolism needed time to do its magic. Time she didn't have.
Even realizing all that, the youngest daughter of Dimitrescu felt her hands clenched into unyielding fists, as she hissed out a statement she meant with every fiber of her being.
"You will not put one filthy finger of yours upon my mother! Not as long as I draw breath."
The man smirked, as if he was expecting this response all along.
"That seems like a particularly easy condition to meet, wouldn't you agree, ET-36?"
"It is." Boomed the Replica Elite to the right, stepping forward.
As Daniela took in the fearsome form of her next opponent, a dreadful fact became apparent to her. The staircase that led to the building itself was right next to Mia and the tall man. In turn, the unknown man - as if reading her thoughts - merely smirked her way, before lazily waving his hand and ordering his underlings around.
"Excellent, show our…" the man motioned at the four hazmat soldiers from the second car, with clear derision in both his gestures and voice, "...Bloodfang friends how a real professional works." He then glared at the disarmed viral bomb, before mockingly bemoaning his own fate, "Forgive me, Ms. Winters, I promised you a pleasant stroll towards our final destination, but it seems like some blood will have to be spilled. Ah well." He didn't look particularly apologetic - almost if he relished the prospect of bloodshed to come. Finally, he - without looking at him - addressed the lead man from the second car, "Order every remaining Bloodfang in the area to commence the ground assault on the building. Time is of the essence, as they say."
The reactions to his orders were as different as night and day. The Replica Elite merely nodded, never letting his gaze wander from Daniela. Mia herself appeared completely apathetic - like a person who no longer believed to be in control of one's own fate. The Bloodfang squad leader let out an annoyed scoff, but yielded, though his displeasure was obvious, "As you say."
The tall man's lips twisted into a wicked smile that promised nothing but misery. "Some force majeure notwithstanding, all the pieces are in their places, then. Let us be on our way."
Before departing, however, the loathsome creep directed his attention to Daniela, once again. A mocking bow preceded his gloating. "Adieu, Miss Dimitrescu. I'll be sure to give your regards to your beloved Mother, as I tear her beating heart out."
And just like that, he turned around and started walking at a leisurely pace towards the stairway hall, with Mia and one Replica Elite following him like the loyal lap dogs they were.
Fuming in rage, Daniela could no longer contain her emotions. Easily breaking the handhold Catherine still had with her, the youngest Dimitrescu rushed to intercept this vile man, only for the Replica who was left behind to get in her way; a menacing shock baton already active and pointed right at her. The swiftness of his movements betrayed his own inhuman nature.
"Not so fast, little fly."
The cloned supersoldier had an unmistakable tint of sadistic glee in his voice, somewhat reminiscent of Cassandra. He clearly relished this opportunity and Daniela - unable to assume her swarm form due to her exhausted reserves of energy - had no choice but to take a step back, gritting her teeth, all the while.
Not a second later, from the stairway hall, the noises of gunfire, followed by screams of the dying reached Daniela's keen ears, implying that the strange man and his brutal bodyguard were already carving their way towards her Mother. Alcina, Rosie and Tom needed her help but Daniela knew that she would have to get through this freak and his four goons to be of any further aid to her friends and family.
And whatever she had to do to best the Replica, she had to do it fast. Something told her that the FBI and B.S.A.A. agents between here and apartment #601 would only slow this strange man down, and even then - not by much.
With Catherine behind her, the Replica Elite in front of her and the four faceless goons to her side, Daniela gritted her teeth. One fight was over, but another one was just getting started.
How I wish you were here with me, now, my sisters… Beli… Cassi…
Even her thoughts offered no respite, as the vampiric scion simply saw no way out of this predicament. Several tears of desperation ran down her cheek, yet her fists were still clenched with resolve. Even if victory was impossible, she would not stop fighting to protect those she loved.
Mama… Rosie… Tom… just hold on… I don't know how, but I will protect you all…somehow…
Daniela Dimitrescu would not yield, not as long as her family was on the line. For them, she would be the warrior who fought to her death. The murderer, who slaughtered the enemy to the last. The protector, who was ready to sacrifice herself.
From the corner of her eye, Daniela noticed the fourth masked goon finally bringing his pistol up, though, curiously it didn't appear as if he was aiming at her. She didn't get to ponder much on that peculiarity, however, as the Replica finally charged straight at her with bedazzling speed, his shock baton sparkling with deadly electricity.
Even knowing that this was likely her final fight, Daniela Dimitrescu stood firm in the face of her demise.
Author's Note:
So I've envisaged this parking lot scene a long time ago, and I am really happy that it finally came to fruition (though, funny thing, originally, it was supposed to be Cassandra who tore the Bloodfang squad apart here, but then I thought that she had enough badass moments already in this story, and it would confer a stronger sense of character growth to have her risk her life and limb to aid Ethan in the Empire State Building's finale.)
Also, this is probably the sole chapter for which the revision process took longer than the actual writing in the first place. Funny enough, I don't know how this chapter got this huge - I did plan for the underground fight scene to be 3-4k words, but then it grew to colossal 11k, then again, I had an amazing time writing this, so I have no regrets :) Dani sure takes a lot of spotlight in my works lately, though xD
Penamstan (from which Serj and Marko are from) is a country in RE universe, from Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness miniseries. Also, since the C-Virus fume-based serum we saw in RE6 worked with extremely high temperatures (to the point where it incinerated its hosts), I felt like my "Hellfire" strain is not that far from the canon :)
Finally, I envisage Bloodfang to be an international organization, who recruits desperate elements worldwide, therefore the Viy squad was made up from many different nationalities. And well, as monstrous they are, at the end of the day, even terrorists are human, with their own goals and personalities.
Anyway, hope the chapter was an enjoyable read, and as always, feel free to leave any kind of feedback - I appreciate it more than you know! :)